Community toilet plan agreed for Portglenone following public loo closure

The public toilets in Portglenone have now been closed by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

Mid and East Antrim councillors have agreed a scheme to enable visitors to Portglenone to “spend a penny”, with the support of local businesses.

The borough council’s Environment and Economy Committee, which met at The Braid in Ballymena on Monday evening, January 26, approved the delivery of a proposed community toilet scheme following the closure of the public toilets on Main Street.

Under the proposal, the council would pay participating businesses an annual fee of £500 to allow members of the public to use their toilet facilities free of charge during opening hours, regardless of whether they are customers.

The scheme would initially run for a 12-month period.

Businesses taking part would be required to display signage prominently, keep facilities in a “clean and hygienic condition”, and provide handwashing and drying facilities.

“The initiative ensures that clean, safe and easily accessible toilets are available to the public at no cost. Participating businesses will be paid an annual fee by council, proposed £500 per annum, based on the facilities they have available,” councillors were told.

A report presented to the committee said the council-owned toilets on Main Street, Portglenone, were closed in October due to the “poor structural integrity of the building and health and safety concerns”.

However, the council continues to operate public toilets at Portglenone Marine seven days a week.

The report said the local authority has been approached by a number of residents seeking toilet provision in the Main Street area. It also noted that Derry City and Strabane District Council has operated a community toilet scheme for the past two years.

It added that initial interest among local businesses had been “positive”.

The committee report stated: “We had a positive response and would expect a good uptake should the scheme be approved.”

Commenting after the meeting, committee chair Ballymena Alliance Councillor Jack Gibson said:

“I think the Portglenone community toilet initiative is a really positive scheme. It will allow us to deliver the important local services our ratepayers expect in a very cost-effective way. With budgets tight, it’s good to see council working with the community to address challenges.”

The Crohn’s and Colitis UK charity says in its ‘Access to Toilets’ statement:

“With ever-growing demands on council budgets, innovative additional solutions such as community toilet schemes are required to ensure access to appropriate numbers of publicly available toilets is maintained. Such schemes are important but should complement, not replace, public toilets which remain open during evenings and weekends.”