Councillor Glenn Taylor joined fellow councillors mayor Reg Kidd and Tony Mileto to turn the first sod next to the CWA Hall on Wednesday.

"I'll believe it when I see it, when it's actually built," Cr Taylor said.

He said elderly World War II veterans first asked him for a toilet block in the park about 2000 and he expected it would have been a simple process to build.

"Those veterans who approached me sadly are all basically gone now, that gives you an idea of how long this battle has been," he said.

"Never did I dream it would take 20 years. We built the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 10 years, the Sydney Opera House took 20," he said.

"Finally it's happening.

"There has been a lot of debate over the years about antisocial behaviour and how it would denigrate the moral fabric of Orange by placing a toilet facility in the park. Those were arguments that were listened to by a series of councils over the years. I was just so frustrated with it."

The work is expected to be completed by the end of March.

The facility might be ready for the Orange Food Week night market on March 27.

Cr Kidd said he hoped it would be open for the Anzac Day service on April 25.

He attributed the long wait for approval to democracy and interest in the proposal.

"We'll all be excited when we do the first flush," he said.

Cr Kidd said the toilet block would be valuable for war veterans' services, events and markets in the park, passengers from tourist buses which parked in McNamara Street and the general public.

Cr Mileto said it would also help people with medical conditions who needed a toilet quickly.

The Sir Neville Howse monument, which was on the site, will be reinstated at the other end of the park.