Cork Marina public toilets to open after six-month delay over dispute

Public toilets at Cork’s Marina to open after delay linked to operational and financial issues between council and operators

Delayed Cork Marina public toilets to open this weekend after agreement between council and café operators. Picture: Cork City Council

Public toilets installed by Cork City Council more than six months ago will open to the public this weekend, as a councillor said the delay was due to a financial dispute.

The council installed the public toilets, at a cost of €30,000, on the Marina last October but “encountered unforeseen operational issues”, a spokesperson said.

“The council has been working hard since to conclude contractual arrangements to enable the public toilet facilities to open as soon as possible.”

The spokesperson told the Irish Examiner that the toilets will be open for the bank holiday weekend, with keys provided to the operators of the Cortado coffee kiosk, who will be responsible for opening and closing the facilities each day, in line with their lease agreement.

The toilets will be open during Cortado's opening hours, seven days a week.

The council will cover the cost of cleaning, with a contractor scheduled to attend twice daily.

They added: “We are delighted that the issues that have slowed the delivery of these toilets have been resolved so that this much needed public amenity is now operational.”

Terry Shannon, a Fianna Fáil councillor for the area, said he became involved in the mediation process between the council and café operators last month “to try and bring them closer together.

“City hall had one financial wish, the café had another, so it’s been back and forth between the two but we’ve now come to a mutual agreement on both sides.

“Really and truly, the provision of public toilets is a matter for city council. They do need to be supervised as well as cleaned, so next to established businesses is a good idea, but we can’t expect these small businesses to carry the load, it has to be a collaboration.

Mr Shannon said he is hopeful more toilets will open in the area soon, including locations near Páirc Uí Chaoimh and Holland Park, adding that the Fianna Fáil council group plans to seek funding in next year’s council budget.

“We have to talk to management, they have a particular view that they don’t want to be involved with toilets because there’s a big cost, cleaning and insurance have to be covered, but we had a proliferation of public conveniences around the city in the past, and we need to get back to that.

The council spokesperson it is council policy to provide public toilets, where possible, at all of the city’s major public parks — usually at those with the highest footfall and at locations where people would spend a number of hours enjoying the amenity.