THE public toilets in Kinsale are so ‘archaic’ that the pull chains in them went out around the time of World War II, according to a Kinsale-based councillor.
Cllr Kevin Murphy (FG) raised the ongoing issue of plans for new toilets in the town at last week’s meeting of Bandon Kinsale Municipal District and sought an update on the Part 8 planning for the new facilities.
‘The toilets themselves are in a desperate state and I want to see that Part 8 ready, as we’ve been waiting six or seven years for it to go through and we’re getting lambasted about this from members of the public,’ said Cllr Murphy.
‘It should be the easiest thing to do, because unusually we have a building and all we want to do is transfer it. Kinsale is booming at the moment and there are huge numbers of tourists visiting there and the toilets are in a shambles.’
Cllr Murphy said the toilets are ‘so archaic’ at this stage with timber doors and pull chain flushes which, he said, went out after World War II.
‘I’m just wondering are we going to wait until World War III to get these toilets changed?,’ he asked.
His colleague, Cllr Marie O’Sullivan supported his call and said it’s a huge issue in Kinsale and she said she feels sorry for the girls working in the tourist office because they are right next to the toilets and they are getting an ‘awful doing’ about them.
‘Is there any way we can do some cosmetic work or a quick fix on them to get us through the summer?’ she asked.
‘I know one of the hand dryers in the men’s toilet isn’t working,’ noted Cllr O’Sullivan.
Cllr Murphy also asked for more signage to indicate that there are other public toilets in the town, which he said are almost hidden.
Municipal district officer Paul Barry said they recently discussed the issue of the toilets and will carry out a certain amount of work to bring them up to a certain standard and admitted that they, too, were getting complaints from the public.
Meanwhile, senior executive officer, Mac Dara Ó h-Icí told councillors that the Part 8 for the toilets is being prepared at the moment but they have come across a stumbling block in relation to the conservation section.
‘The drawings are done and we’re ready to go once we hear back from the conservation section,’ he said.
