Council told that local shops are carrying the can due to lack of toilets in West Cork town

Local supermarkets and cafés are being relied on to provide toilets in Skibbereen due to a lack of public facilities in the Fairfield car park a recent meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork Municipal District was told.

Independent Ireland councillor Daniel Sexton proposed a motion to the meeting which asked “That this council explores the options for constructing public toilet facilities at the Fairfield car park (also known as the old mart car park) in Skibbereen.”

Mr Sexton said: “Businesses are becoming public toilets and doing the council’s work. In this day and age we should be able to provide public toilets and maintain them. There are not enough toilets in West Cork in general.”

The motion was seconded by Brendan McCarthy (FG) who said: 

“You go to other countries, Spain, France, Italy and they have public toilets in their towns. There is a superloo in Skibbereen that was costing €40,000 a year and only bringing in €2,000.”

Mr McCarthy said that there was a toilet in the town hall building that has an access door to the street that could be opened to the public. He said that the tourist office was constantly asked by visitors where there were public toilets and the provision of facilities “should not be left to supermarkets.”

Isobel Towse (SD) said that some traders from Skibbereen Farmer’s Market had an arrangement with the scout hall next to the car park to use the facilities there. 

Ms Towse said the council should explore the possibility of making these toilets publicly available during weekends for the summer season.

Senior executive officer Noreen O’Mahony said:

“Skibbereen is well serviced with public toilets which are available both at the playground and in the public carpark which is a short walking distance from the Fairfield car park. 

"There are no plans to provide further public toilets at present.”

This article is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.