As part of this Strategy review, Bayside City Council engaged an independent consultant to inspect each public toilet in the municipality, and assess each facility against several criteria. The most significant of these criteria were how the facility was considered in terms of demand, performance, accessibility, and safety. For each criteria, a ranking between 1 and 5 was given; a higher score indicates a driver for renewal/upgrade.
The four primary criteria for determining priorities were defined as follows:

• Demand – the user-driven demand of the facility, including sensitivity of the location. A high number indicate a high profile building that will be regularly used and/or seen;
• Performance – a measure of the comfort, physical condition, and quality of the facility and its internal fittings. A high number indicates a facility in poor condition that does not suit the needs of the user;
• Accessibility – a measure of how accessible the facility is for people with disabilities, and the compliance of the facility with modern standards. A high number indicates a facility where the entrance, internal dimensions, and pathway do not meet relevant standards, and there is no nearby accessible parking;
• Safety – a measure of the safety of the facility in terms of its physical location, lighting, opportunities for concealment, and measure of casual surveillance by those passing by. A high number indicates a facility that is isolated, with obstructions that offer opportunities for concealment, and is perceived by users to be unsafe;

Using this methodology, 20 public toilet facilities deemed to be the highest priority for works are shown below. An equal weighting has been assigned to each of the criteria.

Several public toilet facilities throughout Bayside have already been identified for upgrade/renewal under different programs, such as the Sportsground Pavilion Improvement Plan, or various Council Masterplans. These facilities are not included for upgrade/renewal under the Public Toilet Strategy 2018.

If a person cannot stand up or independently move from a wheelchair to a toilet pan, standard accessible toilets are not an option. For many people, what this means is that the time they can spend away from home is limited – having to cut short shopping trips, leaving sports or concerts before the end and restricting the hours they can work. Or carers are having to place people on public toilet floors whilst they attend to them.

A demand for highly accessible changing places has been identified, where people with disabilities and their carers have access to specialist amenities. It is proposed that a minimum of two high-level changing places be installed at strategic locations in the municipality, preferably in proximity to popular recreational and open space reserves, and adjacent to existing public toilet facilities.

Changing Places facilities are larger than standard accessible toilets, and have extra features and more space to meet the needs of people with a severe or profound disability and their carers. They contain a toilet, shower, adult change table and tracking hoist system. The facilities are accessed by a Master Lock Access Key which people with a disability or their carers can apply for.

Several location locations that are deemed suitable for such a facility include:

• Northpoint (North Road foreshore) in the northern suburbs of Bayside is a popular recreational area with an existing public toilet and car parking. While there is no beach, there are extensive open space and walking paths. A changing place facility would be located in close proximity to the existing public toilets and carpark;
• Thomas Street Reserve is an open space area located in the geographic centre of Bayside. The north end of this site (adjacent to existing public toilets) is in close proximity to the Sandringham Athletics facilities and proposed all-abilities playground (to be constructed in 2019/20);
• Ricketts Point or Half Moon Bay along the southern foreshore. A disabled divers group operates during summer months near Ricketts Point, with some infrastructure in place to enable beach access. Half Moon Bay also offers a range of services and may be a suitable alternative, subject to available space;

It is estimated that such a facility would cost approximately $120,000 to outfit and require a floor area of approximately 3.5m x 3.5m.

While further investigation and consultation is required, it is proposed that a single facility be implemented on the North Road foreshore, adjacent to the existing public toilet. It is recommended that Bayside City Council apply to deliver such a facility under the ‘Changing Places’ funding program, introduced as part of the Victorian State Government’s Absolutely Everyone: State Disability Plan 2017-2020.

It is proposed that further upgrades be carried out on existing toilets within foreshore and open space to make existing facilities more compliant and accessible for the Bayside community. This may include a short-distance relocation of an existing facility, improvements to pathways and signage, and upgrade of car parking spaces.

For more information on Changing Places accessible facilities please visit their website and refer to our document library for an illustration.

To have your say on our three proposed locations for Changing Places facilities please see the three locations below.

To review and comment on the general accessibility and ratings of existing facilities please complete our survey on the Public Toilet Strategy.

Council will consider the removal or short-distance relocation of existing facilities to provide new toilets that are more visible, accessible, and feel safer.

It is proposed that the public toilet at Table Rock be closed to the general community. Alternatively, the facility may be relocated to a more visible location within the vicinity.

It is also proposed that consideration be given to a rationalisation of the toilets at the Ricketts Point foreshore. Council has three public toilet facilities in this location, and it is proposed that the existing ‘exeloo’ facility be removed. The distance between the two remaining facilities would be approximately 600m.

For more information and to have your say on each specific site please see the specific link below.

For a new facility to be considered, it needs to satisfy one or more of the following criteria:

• Located in a busy or high-profile node (e.g. Activity Centre or Transport Hub), or a location of high demand generally,
• Where there is an existing or predicted demand that needs to be satisfied, or where the need for a new facility is identified through community engagement (such as the process for the development of a foreshore Masterplan);
• Distance from a busy node to the nearest public toilet is unreasonable, or the siting of an existing facility (from a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) perspective), is considered ‘unsafe’;
• An existing facility is not considered to be accessible within the meaning of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, and is unable to be suitably upgraded;
• A lack of public toilets encourages unacceptable antisocial behaviour (e.g. public urination/defecation).

Using these criteria, a new public toilet facility identified has been recommended for:

• Green Point foreshore – A new facility located at the northern end of the carpark to service the needs of beachgoers. Such a facility would need to be of low visual impact.

For more information and to have your say on the proposed new toilet at Green Point please see the link below. For examples of our new and upgraded toilets please refer to the image library.

The Public Toilet Strategy and this consultation does not include the maintenance and cleaning of toilets. If you would like to report and immediate issue for resolution please contact Council's Customer Service for immediate response.

Bayside’s public toilets are on varying cleaning schedules, with the least-attended facilities cleaned 3 times a week. Toilets in popular or high-profile areas are cleaned every day, and sometimes twice a day in activity centres or during summer months. The toilets are cleaned at the end of the day (so they can dry overnight) with bins emptied and paper replaced. The toilets that can be locked are done so after cleaning (sunset) and opened at sunrise. The remaining ones are 24/7.

At a minimum, every site should have at least one sharps bins and hand basin. Baby change tables and waste bins are more common with new facilities.