Orange City Council is set to vote on two options that would deliver the long-awaited public toilets to the park, next to the existing Country Women’s Association (CWA) Hall in Byng Street.

Once an option is approved, the council will be able to start seeking funding for the next step in the design process.

The CWA has given its support to both plans, however Orange CWA branch secretary Deborah Marr said the organisation supported option one, which is estimated to cost $228,000.

“Council have put a couple of plans to us about co-location and we have [reviewed] those and taken them to our head office because we’re the owners of the building and they’ve given us approval to go to the next [stage],” Ms Marr said.

She said the CWA preferred the first option because it included benefits such as disability access to the hall and the inclusion of a disability toilet inside the hall and a second outside, along with two other public toilets.

Ms Marr said the hall currently has limited disability access and no disability toilet and they could not afford to install one because it would involve major construction work including widening doorways.

The plan would also include a fenced-off area connected to the mother’s room where children could play.

The second option is estimated to cost $95,000, featuring two public toilets and a disability toilet adjacent to the hall and a fenced-off area next the mother’s room, but it would not include internal construction work.

Councillor Glenn Taylor has been campaigning for public toilets to be built in the park for about 10 years and said he is no longer concerned about which option is approved as long as the council finally settles on something.

“I’m concerned we will never get one particular model through,” Cr Taylor said.

“They’ve voted it down twice when it’s been at the point of approval... I’ve never ever experienced something so frustrating as this.

“I’m at the point where I will be happy with any proposal at Robertson Park for people to use on a daily basis, especially in spring and summer months and when big events are in the park.”

Cr Taylor said having toilets in the park would also benefit tourists and would give more people an incentive to stop in town.

“It’s amazing the amount of feedback that we’ve got that people see the CWA building and they assume it’s a toilet facility anyway,” he said.

tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au