'Ugly black box': Toilet for bus drivers gets go ahead despite residents' objections

Dublin Bus wants a 'prefabricated drivers’ welfare facility' adjacent to a bus stop on Brehon Field Rd in Ballinteer.

Residents from a housing estate in south Dublin have failed in their attempt to block Dublin Bus from erecting a portable toilet for drivers at a nearby terminus, which one claimed would be used as a "drop off point for drugs".

An Coimisiún Pleanála upheld Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council approval of a Dublin Bus “prefabricated drivers’ welfare facility” adjacent to a bus stop on Brehon Field Rd in Ballinteer.

It rejected an appeal by Kingston Residents’ Association against the council’s ruling, with locals claiming that a “large ugly black box” was being located in “an extremely sensitive place right at the entrance to a beautiful, well-tended estate.” 

The group had claimed the toilet, which is to be located at a terminus for the 16 bus route, looks like "it fell off a truck and landed in a random place".

The residents also warned that it would become “a magnet for graffiti and anti-social behaviour” with one objector claiming it would be used as a “drop-off point for drugs.” 

The Commission said it had taken into consideration the “overall modest size and scale” of the self-cleansing unisex toilet and its location close to an existing bus stop, as well as the mature landscaping along that stretch of Brehon Field Rd.

Subject to compliance with a number of planning conditions, it said the development would be acceptable and would not negatively impact the visual amenity of either Brehon Field Rd or the Kingston estate.

The Commission noted that the provision of the toilet would also “accord with the national and local objectives as they relate to transport infrastructure".

The Commission also stipulated that Dublin Bus arrange with Uisce Éireann to ensure that the facility is connected to the public wastewater network.

Residents' reaction

The Kingston Residents’ Association has claimed that it had insufficient time to consider “confusing” revised plans submitted by Dublin Bus in response to issues raised by council planners.

It also questioned the fundamental requirement for a toilet as the route was being replaced by a new bus service as part of the redesign of the BusConnects network being implemented by the National Transport Authority.

Dublin Bus said that the provision of dedicated welfare facilities for drivers rather than on-board toilets was in line with established practices of urban transport operators internationally.

A planning inspector said the toilet would be self-cleaning and would be maintained by a service contractor daily, with access limited to Dublin Bus drivers.

The inspector said she did not consider Brehon Field Rd to be “a visually sensitive area”, while the toilet will be located 48 metres from the entrance to Kingston estate.

The residents’ association, which represents approximately 270 households, said they fully appreciated that bus drivers must have “proper, decent toilet facilities but this should not be at the expense of people living close by".