SHOPPERS at the weekly farmers’ market in Skibbereen who are looking to spend a penny will be left disappointed as the council has no plans to install a toilet.
A call to construct a public convenience at Skibbereen’s Fairfield was made by Cllr Daniel Sexton (Ind Ire) at the monthly meeting of the West Cork Municipal District.
The old mart yard, as the car park is also known, hosts more than 100 food stalls at the peak of the summer, but it also attracts large crowds on a year-round basis, said Cllr Sexton.
The councillor said people had been popping in to use the loos in a nearby public house, but that has since closed, and now local restaurateurs say their premises are being used indiscriminately.
People have nowhere but the superloo in the Main Street car park, which runs an auto-clean after every use, he said, adding: ‘Skibbereen needs more public toilets that also offer baby changing facilities.’
He said a new toilet block – with more than one toilet – is what Skibbereen needs. He acknowledged that there is another public toilet block at the playground, but he said that is located far away, at the other end of North Street, and is frequently vandalised.
‘I believe the toilets at the playground are currently closed, and that refurbishment works are planned, but we need a more practical solution,’ he stated.
‘I spoke to one woman, who has Crohn’s disease, and she told me first-hand the difficulty she faces on a daily basis living in West Cork due to the lack of toilet facilities across the municipal district.’
Cllr Brendan McCarthy (FG) who traded with his family at the weekly market for 20 years said the lack of public conveniences beggars belief given that ‘every town in France, Italy and Spain has public toilets’.
He said the superloo in the Main Street car park costs €40,000 to run each year, but only generates an annual income of €2,000.
Cllr McCarthy suggested that the facilities at the Town Hall, which has direct access to the town square without having to open up the entire building, should be made available to the public from 9.30am to 4.30pm daily.
Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) pointed out that Skibbereen is a busy market town. And he suggested that some of the income, generated by the weekly fees paid by the stallholders, could be used as a contribution towards the cost of providing new loos at the Fairfield.
Senior Executive Officer Noreen O’Mahony informed the members: ‘Skibbereen is well serviced with public toilets which are available both at the playground and in the public car park which is a short walking distance from the Fairfield car park.’ And she informed the councillors: ‘There are no plans to provide further public toilets at present.’
