DEBATE on the design for the Robertson Park toilets has been deferred to the new year after councillors raised concerns about the layout.
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At Orange City Council’s final meeting of the year, councillor Scott Munro moved for the toilets to have a traditional design, segregating men and women.
Currently, the design is for a unisex facility with three cubicles, fully enclosed from floor to ceiling, with a shared washbasin area.
In a report to councillors, staff said the previous council, including Cr Munro, had endorsed the unisex design twice and segregating male and female would require a larger facility and a higher cost.
The facility is already tipped to cost $270,250, including $25,000 to upgrade the CWA Hall and contingencies.
However, Cr Munro said the motion followed discussion with members of the public across different age brackets.
“A lot of those answers to me were more, not so much that the facility won’t work, it’s more that if a person goes in there, they feel intimidated on the way in and out,” Cr Munro said.
“If you go into a public toilet and you’re a lady, maybe an elderly lady, maybe a young lady, it doesn’t matter, and two men walk in behind you, you’re going to feel intimidated – but they know if it’s a women’s toilet, they’re not supposed to be there.”
Councillor Glenn Taylor, who previously criticised dissent on the design, and moved a deferral.
“The reason I do that is because I do agree, I think they should be separate men’s and women’s toilets, but the fact of the matter is I have more concerns over the fact that we are building these toilets onto the CWA Hall,” he said.
Councillor Jason Hamling disagreed, saying it was 2017.
“We’ve go those sort of toilets at the Adventure Playground and there hasn’t been any problems,” he said.
“We’re not talking about a lady going in and men going in the same cubicle.”
Councillor Tony Mileto, speaking as a former police officer, said toilets tended to attract deviant behaviour.
“I think as a parent of young children, you should be able to have the confidence to be able to send a child into a ladies’ toilet and be assured that there is nobody in there waiting,” he said.