Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the draft Public Toilet Plan in October 2023. The final document was adopted (with amendments) by Council on Monday 11 December 2023.

Amendments made to the Plan include:

• The Chelsworth Park Public Toilet (attached to the current pavilion) will be included in the renewal program for 2028/29.
• Should Council endorse the new pavilion(s) at Chelsworth Park, the renewal of Chelsworth Park Public Toilet (attached to the current pavilion) will be removed from the renewal program for 2028/29.
• Amend Action A22 to read: Update information annually about Council owned and managed toilets on the National Public Toilet Map within Banyule, including reconciling with data shown on Apple and Google Maps.

To view the minutes from 11 December Council Meeting, go to Council's website and refer to Item 7.1 in the minutes.

In October 2023, we asked for your feedback on the draft Public Toilet Plan. We received feedback from 50 community members through an online and hardcopy survey. Some of the things we heard on the draft Plan include:

• 56% of respondents supported the draft plan, including the 10-year works program and action plan.
• 14% of respondents did not support installing a new public toilet in Rosanna Parkland. The exact location of the proposed toilet was of concern to these residents.
• 12% of respondents proposed installing a public toilet at Eaglemont station.
• 4% of respondents suggested constructing toilets at Aminya Reserve and East Ivanhoe earlier than proposed.

As a result of your feedback, the following changes have been made to the draft Public Toilet Plan:

• Rosanna Parklands
  The plan has been revised to include an investigation to recommission the existing public toilet block at Macleod Park, prior to committing to a new toilet block in Rosanna Parkland. If a new toilet block is required at Rosanna Parkland, its location will be decided through community consultation for the Rosanna Parklands Masterplan.
• Eaglemont Station
  There was support by residents for the provision of toilets in Eaglemont. The draft plan already includes an action to advocate to the State Government for the provision of public toilets at the Eaglemont Railway Station and investigating the option of community access to the existing toilets for rail staff.
• Shorter Plan
  As a result of your feedback we created a shorter Plan which is more accessible and easier to read. This version of the Plan is supported by the longer Technical and Background Report.

Summary of the Plan

The Public Toilet Plan is a 10-year plan to guide the provision of Council-owned and managed toilets located across the municipality in places like public parks and near playgrounds, sports ovals and activity centres. The draft Plan includes:

• An action plan to improve the standard of existing and new public toilets in Banyule.
  • 39 actions have been identified or carried over from the original plan for continuous improvement and better management of Council’s public toilets.
• A renewal and upgrade program of Council owned and managed public toilets.
• A capital works program for constructing new toilets based on a gap analysis.
• A toolkit to guide assessment of public toilets.
  • The toolkit comprises:
    • Condition Rating Assessment
    • Star Rating Assessment Criteria
    • Service Hierarchy Framework
    • Schedule of Fixtures and Fittings
    • Assessment Framework
    • Design and Siting Principles

Engagement

From April to May 2023, we asked the community for their feedback on the safety, service and location of our public toilets. 545 community members participated through an online survey, intercept surveys at various locations across Banyule and a social map.

What you told us

Based on what you told us, we have:

• Identified priority locations for additional toilet facilities. Six new toilets are proposed over the next 10 years at:
  • Rosanna Parklands
  • East Ivanhoe Village
  • Aminya Reserve
  • Burke Road North Reserve
  • Sparks Reserve
  • Plenty River Drive Reserve
• Reviewed the current 10-year toilet replacement/renewal program
• Considered upgrading public toilets by priority to meet STAR rating 4.

Take a look at the social map below or read the full Stage 1 Consultation Report for more information on what we heard.

To support development of the draft Public Toilet Plan, we have undertaken:

• A condition inspection of all public toilets.
• A survey to establish a STAR rating for each public toilet, where 1 = low service level and 5 = high service level. The STAR rating considers:
  • sustainable design features
  • safety
  • environment
  • accessibility
  • design features
  • cleanliness
  • facilities available in the toilets.
• A gap analysis to identify where new toilets should be located considering:
  • proximity to nearest toilet
  • nearby activity centres
  • population.
• Analysis of data collected by people-counting sensors installed in several public toilets to understand their level of use.
• Analysis of data to identify the toilets to be renewed over the next 10 years.

How many toilets are there? What condition are they in?

We've completed an audit of the 58 Council-managed public toilets in Banyule and have some key facts and stats about our toilets that will assist our planning.

View a summary of key information below:

Condition

The analysis highlighted that although most of our toilets are more than 40 years old, none of them are considered to be in poor condition.

Provision

The analysis highlighted that public toilets in Banyule should be distributed in an efficient way to ensure convenient and equitable access.

Accessibility

The analysis highlighted that public toilets need adequate signage, a dedicated path, disabled and 24-hour access.

Sustainability

The analysis highlighted that more water and energy saving devices need to be install in our public toilets and the use of natural light and ventilation is important for sustainability.