BALLARAT’S central business district will have a fully operational 24-hour public toilet by October this year in a bid to curb public urination and defecation – something the city’s traders have long complained about.
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The public toilets being built at Alfred Deakin Place have a price tag of more than $250,000 allocated in this year’s council budget.
Ballarat councillor Amy Johnson, a longtime ambassador for getting the toilets approved said the project would be complete before the Archibald Prize was unveiled at the Art Galley of Ballarat later this year.
“It's estimated over 50,000 people will visit our city to see the exhibition over a six week period,” Cr Johnson said. “It's integral we have adequate facilities to accommodate this influx of visitors.”
Cr Johnson said the lack of toilets in the entertainment precinct has long been an issue for traders, who say revellers often relieve themselves on their shops late at night.
Camp Street occupants said last December said the problem was getting increasingly worse.
Traders have also complained in the past of late night revellers vomiting on their shop windows.
The development comes in the wake of a community survey where residents called for the construction of the facility prior to the this year’s budget.
Ballarat's acting city infrastructure general manager Terry Demeo said the new public toilet would be open in early October before the prestigious Archibald Prize commences.
The new facility includes one an accessible toilet and three standard cubicles.
The project also includes lighting and CCTV.
Mr Demeo said preparation of the first concrete pours to the building have been completed.
This week, the structural slab and the feature concrete seat will be poured.
The gutter and roof sheet works are already underway and the timber framing to the walls and rough in of services was also almost complete.
"Works to roof sheeting and flashings continue, as does preparation for the pouring of the concrete pavement," Mr Demeo said.
Mr Demeo said it was hoped the new toilet facility would meet the needs of late night crowds.
"Some CBD businesses have experienced vandalism including defecation of their property by late night revellers and we hope that people so inclined will instead respect our city and our local businesses and make use of the new toilets in the CBD," he said.
Cr Johnson said the toilet was an important addition to the CBD's infrastructure and will assist in further activating this part of central Ballarat.
Cr Johnson said the council was also in the process of establishing a second taxi rank which may be located across the road in Camp Street.
“There will be an operational toilet 24 hours a day in between both of the city’s taxi ranks,” Cr Johnson said.
