COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF DEVELOPMENT PLAN MEETING

Thursday, June 17, 2021

MOTION NO.

MOTION: Councillor G. O'Connell, Councillor P. Gogarty, Councillor L. O'Toole

Add COS 3 Objective: To ensure that all Council-owned community buildings, sports centres and arts centres, whether they are managed directly or outsourced, allow full public access to toilets at all hours of opening.

REPORT:

This motion relates to the provision of public access to toilets located in Council owned, operated, and outsourced buildings. This motion is beyond the strategic land use function of the County Development Plan process.

A feasibility study agreed by the Council is underway and it will be reported on to the Environment, Water and Climate Change SPC later in 2021. If the SPC agrees to recommend the provision of such facilities, then provision would need to be made in the 2022 budget for such facilities. There is no current budget allocation for the provision of public toilets. It is however noted that South Dublin County Council has been very proactive in respect to the provision of Changing Places facilities and has installed a changing places toilet facility at County Hall Tallaght. There is currently one other Changing Places facility in the county at North Clondalkin Library. This facility has all the features of a Changing Places Toilet Facility except it is a smaller space at 8 square metres.  There is also a Changing Places facility currently under construction in the new Lucan Swimming Pool and a Changing Places facility will be installed in Tallaght Stadium as part of the planned Stadium upgrade and extension.

It is noted that the CE Recommendation to motion XX, which would facilitate this motion also is:

To include ‘changing place' facilities in all community and county buildings being newly constructed and where feasible, where being refurbished, during the lifetime of this County Development Plan.

And

COS 2 Policy Objective (X):

To support and facilitate access to public toilet facilities including wheelchair accessible toilet facilities, in all towns and villages in the County.

Recommendation

It is recommended that this motion is not adopted with amendment to read:

COS 2 Objective X

To support and facilitate access to public toilet facilities including wheelchair accessible toilet facilities and community related buildings in Council ownership, in all towns and villages in the County.