People Before Profit representatives, Richard Boyd Barrett TD and Councillor Melisa Halpin, have written to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council calling on them not to remove the public toilets at Newtownsmith on Dún Laoghaire’s seafront.
The public toilets were installed last spring as a temporary measure due to the pandemic.
For many years, since the closure of the old public toilets, off the East Pier, residents, visitors, local councillors and TDs have been calling on the Council to provide public toilets on the seafront. These calls have, to date, fallen on deaf ears and the only promise was of toilets when the new development at the Baths site opens next spring.
Richard Boyd Barrett TD said: “I cannot believe that the Council is removing these much used and much needed toilets. At a time when the Covid case numbers are going up again and when many people are reluctant to go into cafes and restaurants, taking away a much-needed public facility is just unacceptable.”
Cllr Melisa Halpin said: “This morning Deputy Boyd Barrett and I wrote to the Council asking them to keep the public toilets on the seafront at least until next spring when the new baths site opens.
“The only good thing about the pandemic was the increased expenditure in public facilities such as these toilets, wider footpaths, public seats and other things. It shows what can be done when there is a political will and we must insist that these are not lost as we, hopefully, exit the pandemic.
