Dear All

Public Toilets

In 2011, the Council agreed, as part of the Budget process, to reduce the budget of the Public Conveniences service by £300,000, a saving that was delayed until the 2015/2016 financial year. There was an additional budget proposal to reduce the service budget by a further £300,000, which would have resulted in the closure of all public toilets outwith the city centre.

The Council subsequently decided on 12 February 2015, to reject the proposal of the additional £300,000 budget saving. The original saving of £300,000 is still required in order to contribute towards the Council’s budget target for the 2015/2016 financial year, which means that some public toilets will have to be closed. An initial list of toilets proposed for closure was selected based on the number of people using the facilities, the conditions of the buildings, alternative facilities available in the local area and the potential for a Community Toilet Scheme. Prior to final closure of these facilities, consultation has been undertaken with the wider community to establish views on the proposed closures; and identify any steps that could be taken to lessen the effects of losing these facilities. The results of this survey are available to view here on the Council’s Consultation Hub.

The feedback to the customer survey has been considered, and we can advise that the toilets below will be closed over the following timescales:

·         Ardmillan – end of July 2015

·         Canaan Lane – end of July 2015

·         Canonmills – end of July 2015

·         Currie – end of July 2015

·         Granton Square – end of July 2015

·         Joppa – end of August 2015

·         Juniper Green – end of July 2015

·         London Road – end of August 2015

·         St John’s Road – end of August 2015

·         Tollcross – end of August 2015

The toilets at Hawes Pier and Middle Meadow Walk will not be closed at this time, while the options for these sites are reviewed.

To lessen the impact of the closures, the Council is establishing a Community Toilet Scheme with interested businesses across the city. This would result in participating businesses allowing members of the public to use their toilet facilities without expecting them to make a purchase, in exchange for an annual payment from the Council. A number of businesses have already expressed an interest in participating through the public toilets survey and some businesses in identified areas have also been approached with information about the Scheme.

The decision to close these toilets has been a difficult one and it is appreciated that there will be some impact following these closures. To help mitigate this, there have been over 60 additional toilet facilities identified in Council buildings around the city that are available for the public to use. These are located in various Libraries, Community Centres, Edinburgh Leisure facilities and Neighbourhood Offices, and information about these toilet facilities is available here on the Council’s website. Nearly 20 public toilets will remain open.

If you would like to make an enquiry about public toilet closures, please call 0131 529 3030 or email public.toilets@edinburgh.gov.uk.