Parents outraged at ‘inappropriate’ public toilets near children’s playground

“I come here all the time with my three children, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable sending them to the toilet,” mum Brianna said. 

An Adelaide council is urgently replacing the doors on a public toilet after reports of parents feeling uncomfortable.

A public toilet block in the Allenby Gardens Reserve in Adelaide’s west has sparked safety concerns after locals argued it was too see-through.

Felicity Graham, a local resident, initially raised the alarm to the council after visiting the park on Friday. 

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A concerned parent was shocked when she visited the public toilet near the Adelaide playground. Picture: 7News

See-through doors near playground are “very inappropriate”

The doors, which are made from mesh metal and installed in other parks, were installed several years ago without any official complaint.

“These doors have apparently been here for years, and no one has thought it was an issue,” Felicity told 7News. 

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“It scares me that there’s a playground behind us and knowing that there are kids who are vulnerable.”

Following her complaint, other residents agreed the mesh metal was an “invasion of privacy.” 

“They need to be fixed as soon as possible,” said local, Syed Waleed. 

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Following the initial reports of the transparent door at Allenby Gardens Reserve, further complaints about Kidman Park were made. 

One parent, Brianna Warne, said she wouldn’t send her children to the bathroom if the doors remained see-through. 

“I come here all the time with my three children, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable sending them to the toilet,” she said. 

“It’s very strange; it’s very inappropriate. “[The council] shouldn’t be designing any further toilets.” 

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The City of Charles Sturt have urgently installed screens in the toilet cubicles. Picture: City of Charles Sturt

Council to urgently change toilet stall doors 

Following the complaints, the City of Charles Sturt confirmed it would be urgently replacing the doors in the Allenby Gardens Reserve and other toilets “as a matter of urgency.” 

Temporary screens were installed on the public toilet doors for the long weekend. 

Adrian Ralph, the general manager of asset management at the City of Charles Sturt, said the toilet block was recently repaired after vandals targeted it; however, the toilet doors were not replaced. 

“Charles Sturt recognises these doors do not provide adequate privacy and to ensure safety this long weekend, we are installing temporary screens today,” Mr Ralph said. 

“Our intent is to create safe public spaces and increase passive surveillance, however, these doors are not appropriate and will be fixed.”

Originally published as Parents outraged at ‘inappropriate’ public toilets near children’s playground