Famed for the ‘Relief of Derry’, it has emerged that there are currently NO working public toilet facilities in Londonderry, despite a massive influx of visitors expected throughout the City of Culture year.
The Urban Regeneration Company ILEX has admitted that Ebrington Square, described as a ‘state-of-the-art multi-purpose public space and venue’, does not have any public conveniences currently available on a daily basis.
While a portable building with two toilets was erected when the Peace Bridge first opened, it closed soon afterwards and hasn’t re-opened in almost a year.
An ILEX spokesperson explained: “The toilet facility at Ebrington Square has been vandalised on several occasions and as a result has been closed for some time.”
A spokesperson for Derry City Council said they “provide public facilities at Victoria Car Park” but when the ‘Journal’ checked them both out this week neither were working. One accepted the 10p payment but didn’t open while the other wouldn’t accept the money at all.
The spokesperson for Derry City Council continued: “Other facilities in other parts of the city including Foyle Street were closed some years ago due to related maintenance costs and anti-social behaviour.”
Following representations by the ‘Journal’ this week to ILEX, its spokesperson confirmed that the company is planning to “re-open the portable toilet facilities by the Easter holidays”.
She could not confirm the opening times but said: “We are progressing with a plan to get the toilets re-opened and in order to do that we need to look at the best way of working the situation to ensure it [the facility] is not vandalised again.”
Comments