Despite several objections to installing a unisex facility, at last week’s meeting, councillors voted in favour of trialling a toilet for 12 months.
‘My main concern is anti-social behaviour.
‘Our house has been graffitied three times and I think the situation is just going to get worse with the introduction of the toilet,’ Mrs Doyle said.
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READ NOW‘Even though it will be locked after hours, there will still be people loitering around it.
‘The owners of the nearby cafe (Hobart Deli) are more than happy to allow patrons of the park to use their facilities, so I don’t understand why we need to have a toilet there.’
Mrs Doyle said she avoided the reserve at peak times and was worried that the toilet would encourage patrons to stay longer, resulting in overcrowding.
Other residents at the meeting said the toilet was a waste of ratepayers’ money, would cause blind spots making it difficult to supervise children and lead to the removal of trees.
Council staff said no trees would be removed.
One regular park user spoke in favour of the toilet, saying it would make visiting the reserve more comfortable and hygienic.
Mayor Alannah MacTiernan said she saw both sides of the argument but ultimately welcomed the amenity.
‘This is an exceptionally busy park ” not your typical small park,’ she said.
‘It needs a lavatory because of the sheer number of people that go there.’
Vincent chief executive John Giorgi said a report would be submitted to a council meeting in June to determine the type of temporary toilet to be used, its exact location in the park, hours of use, installation costs and cleaning and opening/closing costs.