City of Sydney to determine controversial Erskineville toilet block plan amid fears of drug use, ‘casual sex acts’

A council is poised to flush away residents’ fears of crime, smells and “casual sex” by giving the green light to a despised dunny, despite dozens of locals kicking up a stink.

Sydney’s most controversial toilet is a step closer construction despite a furious backlash from locals, who fear it will bring crime, anti-social activity, smells and even “casual sex acts” to inner-city Erskineville.

A constipated 10-year development process is set to come to a head when City of Sydney planners meet next week to determine long-running plans for a new 24/7 amenity block in the Erskineville town centre.

The $413,270 public toilet would be located in the council’s Ellen Lawman Reserve, next to a childcare centre and shops, and a short walk from homes.

The council’s planning department has recommended approving the facility next week, stating it would “provide accessible facilities to the public” and assist in “serving the needs” of residents.

It has made the recommendation despite dozens of people kicking up a stink over the proposal, claiming it would be “detrimental” to the village atmosphere of the town centre.

A concept image of the proposed toilet

Resident Sarah Tantum, whose children attend a nearby childcare centre, said the prospect of having a toilet built at the site was “utterly disgusting”.

“Building a public toilet in this space – smack bang in the middle – is unsightly and not keeping with the aesthetics of the area,” she said.

The toilet would operate 24/7.

“The park already attracts unsavoury people (and) the toilet will attract people who want to use it for other purposes.”

Lauren Green Dowling, in a written submission on the plans, stated the toilet could turn “a nice park into a place you no longer want to visit”.

“If this (development) is successful, it will become a place where drugs are administered,” she wrote.

“The park will stink and it will rarely get used.”

The public toilet was previously proposed for Erskineville Square, but had to be relocated due to backlash.

Resident Dean Hargreaves is also worried that the toilet “could become a target for daily graffiti, casual sex and drug taking”.

Other gripes raised by residents include impacts on the heritage streetscape of Erskineville, the potential for the site to attract vermin such as rats, and the proximity to restaurants which could leave diners put off their food.

The park is also popular during Christmas, when it hosts a large Christmas tree, and some locals say visiting the attraction would become an “undesirable” proposition if the toilet block went ahead.

“Who wants to enjoy a glorious festive tree next to a stinky toilet? It will simply be an awful eyesore,” a submission stated.

The proposed toilet was first considered back in 2014, when a council strategy identified a need for an additional toilet in Erskineville.

The initial plan was to build it at Erskineville Square, but the opposition of shop owners and a restaurant resulted in the proposed site being relocated 36m east.

Some residents have made submissions supporting the toilet, describing the delays in its construction as unnecessary.

Over time, the cost of the project has blown out from $275,000 to $413,270.

The council’s planning department stated the 3m-tall toilet block would not result in detrimental impacts to the character of the Erskineville Road Village Centre”.

“The proposed toilet provides an accessible toilet facility to the public, is of high-quality design and uses resilient materials which are vandal resistant,” a report prepared for the planning meeting stated.

QMS Media, which has a “street furniture” agreement with the City of Sydney, plans to carry out external cleaning and maintenance, as well as removing any offensive graffiti within eight hours of it being reported.

Currently, the nearest public toilet is located at the Erskineville train station.

But it is only open as late as 7pm on weekdays and 4pm on Sundays, while public toilets at Erskineville Oval are 450m away and only open during daylight hours.