Public Toilets survey

Closed 25 May 2015

Opened 13 Apr 2015

Contact

public.toilets@edinburgh.gov.uk

Feedback updated 16 Dec 2015

We asked

What the impact of 12 proposed toilet closures would be on members of the public, businesses and communities.

You said

Responses to the questionnaire were varied and can be viewed in the Public Toilets Customer Survey report.

We did

The results of the survey and feedback provided by members of the public, community groups and businesses have been considered. In order to achieve the £300,000 saving that was agreed in 2011, a decision has been taken to close the following toilets:

  • Ardmillan;
  • Canaan Lane;
  • Canonmills;
  • Currie;
  • Granton Square;
  • Joppa;
  • Juniper Green;
  • London Road;
  • St John’s Road; and
  • Tollcross.

The toilets at Hawes Pier and Middle Meadow Walk will not be closed at this time, while the options for these sites are reviewed.

To lessen the impact of the closures, the Council is establishing a Community Toilet Scheme with interested businesses across the city. This would result in participating businesses allowing members of the public to use their toilet facilities without expecting them to make a purchase, in exchange for an annual payment from the Council. A number of businesses have already expressed an interest in participating through the public toilets survey and some businesses in identified areas have also been approached with information about the Scheme.

The decision to close these toilets has been a difficult one and it is appreciated that there will be some impact following these closures. To help mitigate this, there have been over 60 additional toilet facilities identified in Council buildings around the city that are available for the public to use. These are located in various Libraries, Community Centres, Edinburgh Leisure facilities and Neighbourhood Offices, and information about these toilet facilities is available at http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/toilets. Nearly 20 public toilets will remain open.

Overview

The City of Edinburgh Council has taken a step back from implementing a £600,000 reduction for the Public Conveniences budget, which would have resulted in the closure of 22 public toilets across the city.

However, a budget decision was taken in 2011 to remove £300,000 from the service budget within the 2015/2016 financial year. This means that around 10 public toilets will still need to be closed. Over 60 publicly accessible toilets have been identified in Council buildings across the city which can be viewed here or below under "related documents". Access to these facilities is subject to opening times.

The Council now needs your feedback to inform the decision making process around which public toilets should be kept open and which should be closed. An initial list of toilets has been identified for closure, based on the following criteria:

  • Condition
  • Usage
  • Accessibility
  • Alternative publicly accessible toilets
  • Potential for Community Toilet Scheme in local area

 

Following this decision, the toilets will be closed over the period of the 2015/ 2016 financial year.

Why your views matter

The purpose of this survey is to get feedback from members of the public, community groups and businesses around the initial list of public toilets that have been identified for closure. Your responses will be used to help make the final decision around which toilets should be kept open and which should be closed.

Around 60 additional toilets have been identified across the city, within Council buildings such as libraries and neighbourhood offices. The locations of these toilets are highlighted in the map attached to this survey. Changing Places toilets (toilets with additional accessible facilities) are also included on this map.

The results will be published after 5 June 2015.

What happens next

The results of the survey and feedback provided by members of the public, community groups and businesses has been considered by Elected Members. A decision about toilet closures will be communicated in early July 2015. There has been consideration of how public toilets could potentially be managed by community groups, and at this time this will not be taken forward while the Council investigates other options.

Areas

  • All Edinburgh

Audiences

  • Homeless People
  • People with long term conditions
  • People with disabilities
  • Minority Ethnic groups
  • Carers
  • Jobseekers
  • Low income households
  • Older people
  • Businesses
  • Children & Young People
  • Civil and public servants
  • Elected Members
  • Lesbian, gay, bisexual people, Transgender people (LGBT)
  • Men
  • Parents/carers
  • Professionals
  • Residents
  • Road users
  • Students
  • Teaching/Educational staff
  • Visitors
  • Voluntary sector/volunteers
  • Women
  • Taxi Licence holders
  • Amenity groups
  • Architects/designers
  • Built heritage groups
  • Community councils
  • Developers/investors
  • Development management statutory consultees
  • Development planning key agencies
  • Education institutions
  • External councils
  • Housing associations
  • Landowners
  • Libraries
  • Natural heritage/open space
  • Neighbourhood partnerships
  • Planning consultants
  • Professional bodies
  • Scottish Government departments
  • Services/utilities
  • Transport groups
  • Young people
  • Licence holders

Interests

  • All interests