MIDCOAST PUBLIC TOILETS IN PARKS
Acknowledgement of Country
Glossary of Terms
Public Toilet: A toilet facility, of any number of sub-components, that are available for the general public to use. Will be located on land owned and/or managed by Council.
Commercial Public Toilet: A restricted access toilet facility provided by a commercial business or government entity, for use by customers of that business. Can include shopping centres, restaurants, cafes and government facilities such as train stations.
Park and Reserve: Public land, including Crown Land and Community Land that is managed by Council.
Replace: Where a facility is not fit for purpose, but its capacity is acceptable it is replaced by a similar facility
Upgrade: Where a facility is not fit for purpose but where current and future usage determines that a new facility with more capacity is provided.
Remove: Where a facility is not fit for purpose, and the current and future use of the facility has been determined to be low, thus necessitating the removal of the facility.
Refurbish: Where a facility is fit for purpose, and is meeting the community need, but has aged and is not to an acceptable standard. The outer structure will remain, but the internal will be refurbished. A refurbishment could include an internal repaint, replacement of internal walls, upgrading of cisterns and other elements.
Contemporary Toilet: A toilet that is modern in design and fulfills all the requirements as outlined in the Planning chapter, including that it is fully accessible.
Highway Facilities: A public toilet that is in a park or reserve in a highway side town. These facilities see very little use during tourist off-season but significant use during the season. Examples are Coolongolook, Nabiac, Bulahdelah and Gloucester.
Executive Summary
People visit our parks and reserves. They do so to recreate, to be physically active, or for leisure. Natural spaces attract people. And when they are there, they often need to visit toilets, especially if they are spending some time there.
Public toilets are not often spoken about, but they are critical to a full enjoyment of our public open spaces. And if you have ever needed one, and not been able to find one, then you understand how critical they can be.
We have 106 public toilets in the MidCoast area, and 98 of them are in our parks and reserves. And so, our public open spaces are critical to providing public toilets. In our towns public toilets that are accessible to everyone are in our open spaces. The main public toilet in Forster, and Gloucester are perfect examples. They provide amenity for people visiting the CBD of the town, but they are situated in parks, in Forster’s case Belton Park, and in Gloucester’s case, Billabong Park. So even someone that is in town to shop, will visit a public toilet, in a park. Proving that parks are for everyone.
The MidCoast Public Toilets in Parks Strategy 2024 – 2035 is a critical supporting document to the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035 (OSRS). The OSRS sets out the vision, guiding principles and aspirations for our public open space, how we use it and how we care for it. This Public Toilets in Parks Strategy is an aspirational and asset focused planning document focused on providing contemporary public amenity
One of the eight guiding principles we have adopted in the OSRS is use knowledge and evidencebased management.
Therefore, this Strategy has been developed on a foundation of evidence, and every recommendation contained within the Action Plan is then based on that evidence. This approach will ensure that in the future every public amenity facility that we have will be where it needs to be and provide value based on evidence.
This Strategy lays out our vision for public toilets in our parks, and their importance in our overall goal of encouraging our community to be healthy and active
We understand that there are several different providers of public toilets, from schools, to shopping centres. However, this Strategy deals with those public toilets that are in our public open spaces, our parks, and reserves.
We conducted an audit in the development of the Strategy’s action plan, and this shows a mixed collection of public toilets, which have been provided over many years. Some are in the right place, and these have been identified for maintaining or upgrading in the future. But some of our toilets are not in the right place, and their limited use does not justify their ongoing provision and maintenance. These have been recommended to be removed. There are only five of these.
The action plan is an evidence-based appreciation of our public toilet portfolio and seeks to rationalise our toilets so that they are where they need to be.
We have 100 public toilets in the MidCoast area, and 98 of them are in our parks and reserves.
Introduction
Public toilets are critical to our enjoyment of our parks and reserves.
During 2022 and the first half of 2023 we developed the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035. This is the foundational strategy that guides us on how we manage the extensive public open spaces that we have. The Strategy also provides overarching guidance on the numerous uses of our public open space, including recreation activities, such as sport, play and skate.
Through the development of the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023-2035 we engaged with the community to confirm our analysis of our current open space and we identified six key insights. From these, a vision, guiding principles and actions list have been developed. The vision reflects the value that our community places on our open space. The eight guiding principles have been developed to guide us in our management and delivery of open space in the MidCoast region. The actions reflect our understanding of the short-, medium- and long-term needs and aspirations of our community.
This Public Toilets in Parks Strategy is a direct recommendation from the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035 The vision, guiding principles and intent of the open space and recreation strategy form the basis of this strategy.
Our Public Toilet Vision
“Our vision is to provide safe, clean, and inclusive toilets in key locations for everyone to use. Our public toilets will help to attract people into our parks and reserves, encouraging them to live healthy and active lives.”
Our
Public Toilet Goal
“Evidenced based provision of contemporary public toilets in a sustainable and low impact way.”
We are committed to enhancing the liveable lifestyle that our community enjoys. To achieve that aim we seek to enhance our urban and natural spaces that are a vital part of our lifestyles. We know that public toilets are important to the community. They promote a healthy lifestyle and create connections to our parks, reserves, coastal reserves, and urban areas. Whether we are out and about around our beautiful area, enjoying a day of shopping, fishing from our favourite fishing spot, visiting our parks, parents’ out with children, people travelling through in vehicles, or people enjoying our beautiful spaces on bikes or on foot, most of us need to access public toilets at some time or another.
We provide public toilets because we understand that for us to enjoy our spaces, we need public amenities. We consider it important to ensure that facilities are provided in a logical and planned way across the MidCoast area. Other organisations, such as State Government and businesses, also provide excellent public toilets. These are important and welcome. This strategy aims to ensure that, whether toilets are provided by us or other parties, there are enough facilities in the right places to meet community needs.
To provide full benefit to the community, toilets need to be strategically located and accessible. They need to be cost-effective, but inviting and safe and people need to know where to find them when they want them. In consultation with the community, we have identified some gaps between where we would like to be and where we are at present with the service we provide. These gaps are addressed in this strategy through a planned approach for management of public toilets over the next 11 years.
This strategy contains an action plan that identifies our current facilities and recommends upgrades to facilities and where new facilities are planned to be provided.
Background
Home to 96,800 people (2021), the MidCoast region offers our diverse community a wide range of lifestyle opportunities. Located on the mid north coast of NSW, the geographical area covers more than 10,000 km2 and extends from the coastline, west to the escarpment of the Great Dividing Range. The Biripi and Worimi people are the traditional owners of the land. The region is well known for its natural beauty and is a key holiday destination that attracts a large number of tourists and visitors throughout the seasons. The area spans from sparkling beaches on the coast to mountains in the hinterland, with expansive national parks and green spaces in between. It includes the Manning River valley, the Wallis, Smiths and Myall Lakes systems, the northern foreshore of Port Stephens, the agricultural hinterland and rugged, forested ranges of the Woko and Tapin Tops National Parks, and the World Heritage-listed Barrington Tops National Park. These natural features contribute to our lifestyles, livelihoods and wellbeing, and protecting and celebrating them is an important focus for our future.
We manage 4134ha of public open space, made up of 826 parks and reserves. 100 of these parks and reserves have toilet facilities in them.
To this end, Council has embarked on this strategy to set out our philosophy on the provision of public toilets, which we understand help encourage our people in undertaking activities in our park’s estate.
Methodology
In developing this strategy, the following actions were undertaken:
1 Defining and understanding the importance of public toilets to our community
2 Determining current usage and high demand areas
3 Making recommendations for future design, management and provision of public amenity
4 Consulting with the community with regards to their thoughts on the Strategy
Why do we need a Strategy?
People visit our public spaces, including our parks, reserves and coastal areas because they love those spaces. They often spend extensive time there. Therefore, the provision of high-quality public amenity is important to their enjoyment.
This MidCoast Public Toilets in Parks Strategy is a direct recommendation from the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035.
None of the amalgamated councils that made up the MidCoast Council had a planning mechanism for the planning and provision of public toilets in our public spaces. Therefore, this Strategy provides new strategic direction for the development, and sustainable management of public amenity across the whole region, as well as a comprehensive Action Plan for the future development of new facilities and the maintenance of our existing facilities.
STRATEGIC PLANNING
Strategic Planning
This Public Toilets in Parks Strategy is one component of our larger open space planning framework. The framework was identified in the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035 (OSRS). The OSRS is the source document for all public open space planning documents. Below is the planning framework, as highlighted in the OSRS.
The MidCoast Public Toilets in Parks Strategy is a high priority of the OSRS action plan.
Key Principles
The following key principles will direct the provision of public amenities in the MidCoast region
1. Facilities - Provision of infrastructure that encourages visitation to our parks.
2. Safety – Facilities that are inviting and feel safe.
3. Connection – Provide a portfolio of public toilets that are connected.
4. Policy and Planning – Improved policy and planning that ensures that public toilet needs are considered within a larger planning framework.
5. Recreation Focus – Facilities that allow for and encourage physical activity.
We will provide public toilets that are part of a person’s activity planning. “I can go for a walk in that park because there is a toilet in it”.
Strategy Objectives
Our objectives are:
1. To ensure that public toilets are distributed appropriately to support community life in public places in locations of highest demand.
2. To provide clean and welcoming toilet facilities that can be accessed by everyone regardless of age, gender, and ability.
3. To co-locate public toilets with high visitation facilities, such as playspaces and high use pathways and attractors.
4. To ensure that public toilets in our parks, reserves and coastal areas are placed to have minimal impact on the environment and the enjoyment of the space by our community.
5. To provide public toilets that meet user needs for safety, comfort and convenience, and with a minimal environmental footprint.
6. To ensure MidCoast public toilets are easy to find.
7. To maximise the life and cost-effectiveness of MidCoast’s public toilets.
We have a great lifestyle; good public facilities allow us to enjoy it.
Strategy Actions
We will take the following key actions to achieve our objectives:
• Ensure our facilities provide wheelchair, unisex and parenting access when new ones are built, or existing ones are significantly modified and explore opportunities to add “changing place” facilities in high visitation locations.
• Provide a range of facilities across all toilets (soap dispensers, paper towels, toilet seats, easyto-use door latches) and add bicycle racks and water bubblers as appropriate.
• Design our toilet facilities so that they are safe, space-efficient, environmentally sustainable and built to last.
• Ensure that all toilet blocks are well signed from thoroughfares and promoted through our website and the National Public Toilet Map website and app.
• Ensure our toilets are cleaned to consistent standards and incorporate vandal-deterrent materials and signage.
A key resource that provided guidance in the development of this Strategy was the Glenorchy City Council Public Toilet Strategy.1
A clean, safe, and contemporary toilet can be part of an enjoyable experience.
1 https://www.gcc.tas.gov.au/discover-glenorchy/venues-and-facilities/public-toilets/
PLANNING FOR PUBLIC TOILETS
Planning for Public Toilets
Our Open Space and Recreation Strategy emphases the importance of not over-embellishing our parks and reserves. Our community values the naturalness of our parks and we do not want to install facilities that are not critical to our community enjoying them.
Therefore, we must ensure that only facilities that are needed, and are used by many visitors, are placed in our parks. Toilets are a very important consideration. Do we need one in a specific park, is there one nearby, if we build one can it be accessed by everyone. All these planning considerations, and more, direct our planning for public toilets.
Where do we need public toilets?
Public toilets should be distributed in key locations around the region where they will provide the most benefit to the most people. It is not possible to provide toilets at every potential location. We need to consider how many people use a specific public space and how often, as well as key travel routes and what other facilities are provided nearby.
Business areas and town centres attract people for shopping, entertainment, and other activities. Most department stores, large offices, entertainment centres, shopping centres, restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars provide toilets for their patrons. However, these facilities are not available to the public, and businesses will control access to their toilets. They are also not available when the business is closed.
Therefore, the need to provide public accessible toilets, in the vicinity of these centres is critical. We can only build community infrastructure on land that is owned by us, or we are managers of, such as in the case of crown land. Many public toilets in our towns are built in our parks and reserves. A good case in point if the public toilet in Belton Park in Forster. These public toilets are used by everyone that comes to the Forster CBD, from people visiting businesses, or tourists enjoying our natural environment. But the toilet is in one of our most visited parks. This example emphasises the connection between our parks and our public toilets.
While we provide toilets on land managed by us, we still have an expectation that key businesses provide toilets in their facilities.
We provide our public toilets in our urban parks because that is the land that we manage.
What this strategy covers
The Strategy covers all toilets that are in our parks and reserves.
What this strategy does not cover
The Strategy does not cover the following facilities:
• Toilets in commercial businesses
• Toilets in government entities
• MidCoast Council managed facilities, such as libraries, Council chambers, CWA facilities, sporting facilities, pools.
• Council managed toilets that are not in parks and reserves
Our parks and reserves
We are spoilt with the number, type and quality of our parks and reserves. People like to visit beautiful places.
These parks and reserves are often our “crown jewels” of our parks, having been set aside for community benefit many decades ago, in some cases in the late 1800’s. Because of the value of these parks and reserves for all our community we need to have a holistic approach to their management.
Overall, there are 826 Council-managed open spaces in the MidCoast region. For a full list of facilities and their type refer to Appendix 3 of the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023-2035
Our public open space is made up of the following:
Of the park categories and areas detailed above the following crown land reserves are included:
While we value what the community wants to do in our parks and reserves, we also have a responsibility to manage them sustainably. Many of the actions contained within the Action Plan of this Strategy are within our parks and reserves, and whilst we seek to provide them, we also seek to provide them in a way that has the least impact on those places. We align our infrastructure provision with the Impact Assessment Model that is detailed in the OSRS.
People like to visit beautiful places.
Not all of these 826 parks and reserves need to have toilets. In fact, we don’t want toilets in most of our parks, either because their visitation is not high enough to justify the capital expense of building them, or because the impact of placing a large building in the park is too high.
Where we currently have toilets, in most cases, is reflective of experience in visitation numbers, and where toilets should be. This is not always the case, with some being poorly located, however, as a rule most of our toilets are being used enough to justify them.
The Action Plan is a clear indication of what parks we think toilets should be in.
Community Hubs
All our recently developed parks planning documents have taken a portfolio approach to provision. Included in this approach is what is known as community hubs. This is where we have, or plan to have, a combination of facilities, such as sports fields, playspace, skateparks and passive recreation areas. These hubs attract high visitation and have long Length of Stay (LOS – See OSRS and Playspace Strategy for definition of LOS). They therefore require public toilets to be provided.
Highway Facilities
Our primary focus is always on providing community infrastructure for our residents. However, we also recognise that there is commercial value gained from also providing infrastructure for the many tourists that come to or travel through our area.
The Pacific Motorway passes through our municipality, from south to north. Likewise, the Bucketts Way passes through several towns from south to north. There are several towns on the Pacific Motorway that have an intimate relationship with the travellers that use it. Towns on our major roads have parks and reserves in them, which are highly utilised by travellers, for passive recreation, rest, play and for their toilet facilities. Several actions in our parks and recreation planning documents are for these towns, from new skateparks, to upgraded playspaces. This unique dynamic also has a significant effect on our public toilets. The main facility that is impacted by the motorway is the public toilet in Coolongolook Reserve, in Coolongolook. This park is located right in the centre of the township, right on the motorway, at a spot where people are looking for a break.
During holiday season there is a significant increase in visitation to this facility, further impacted by commercial businesses closing their toilets during this period because of the impact on their facilities. This situation often results in our public toilet in the park exceeding its capacity and at some points becoming unserviceable.
We will work collaboratively with Transport for NSW to upgrade the Coolongolook facility. See the action in the Action Plan.
Another example of a critical public toilet is the facility in Gloucester. This public toilet is in Billabong Park, the largest passive park in Gloucester. People travelling south or north often use this facility, and then spend time in the park, having something to eat, and a break from driving. It is not unreasonable to say that this facility helps keep drivers safe and gives them a pleasant place to take a break. We understand our obligations in providing these facilities.
Public Toilets Provision Framework
Placing our public toilets where they are needed is a key consideration of this Strategy. Public toilets are a significant investment, and we need to ensure that when we put in a toilet that they are going to be used. At the same time almost all our public toilets are in our parks and reserves, and we have a responsibility to sustainably manage them, including keeping infrastructure to only what is critical.
We have therefore developed the following framework that will be used to determine priority locations for public toilets.
Public Toilets Provision Framework
Public toilets are to be in primary usage areas where demand is, or is likely to become, high.
Primary usage areas include:
• Parks and reserves with high visitation
• Urban parks that are located near CBD areas and town centres.
• Parks and reserves that have playspaces of District and Regional level
• Parks and reserves that contain inclusive playspaces
• Parks and reserves that have Fenced Off-leash Dog Areas (FOLA)
• Parks that have long distance trails or trail heads
• Parks that have multi-use community hubs (see Playspace Strategy for definition)
• Social/family passive recreation spaces with high usage/expected usage and longer stays.
• Coastal and foreshore reserves supporting multiple uses.
• Locations of frequent public events attracting high numbers of participants/visitors.
• High traffic, bicycle and pedestrian routes.
• Key public transport nodes.
Public toilets should be located so that they are no more than 400m walking distance of any point in an urban zone.
In determining appropriate locations, consideration will be given to:
• Current and potential future growth areas.
• Adequacy and proximity of existing toilets that are available to the public.
• Risk of excessive and costly damage due to anti-social behaviour in that location.
• Whether provision of a toilet block will progress the objectives of the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy or other Council strategies
• Opportunities to encourage the inclusion of public toilets within major developments, such as supermarket and large retail complexes that are publicly accessible.
• Other factors including pedestrian barriers such as main roads, creeks and train lines, and ease of access
• Ensuring that new urban developments have suitable and well-located public toilets
Temporary toilets are to be provided in locations for infrequent events, markets, and festivals where the location has low usage at other times. These may be provided by us or required of event holders, e.g. as a condition of a property license. Infrequent events should not be used to justify the provision of permanent public toilets.
Criteria for closure of public toilets
The OSRS speaks extensively about the impact that man-made facilities have on our parks and reserves. Our philosophy is to limit the provision of facilities unless their provision is supported by evidence. The aim of all our strategies is to limit and rationalise infrastructure in our parks and reserves. This approach will reduce impacts on our public open spaces as well as reducing the impact on our financial resources. Where infrastructure is not supported by significant usage that facility will be removed, including public toilets.
An important part of ensuring that toilets are provided where they are needed is identifying toilets that are not located appropriately. The cost of maintaining existing toilets that do not meet Council and community objectives is not a good use of public resources. The savings from maintaining redundant facilities can be used to manage facilities in better locations. We have developed criteria to ensure that there is a clear process for identifying any facilities when they are no longer required.
Public Toilet Closure Criteria
Public toilets will be considered for decommissioning or closure in situations where:
• There is another public toilet serving the same area which is easily accessible.
• Usage is very low and no significant increases in activity levels are anticipated in the area.
• The area has low pedestrian activity.
• The location is subject to high levels of vandalism and/or anti-social behaviour.
• The cost of maintenance is excessive or unjustifiable.
• The activities in the park in which the toilet is located are not conducive to high usage of toilets (i.e. the length of stay (LOS) is short. An example would be a small urban park where dog walking is the primary activity. Dog walking is not a long LOS activity and so toilets are not required, especially where participants are walking from home)
In deciding whether to close a facility, we will take into consideration that in some circumstances public toilets may be underutilised because of their condition and consider other options to closure.
We will only decommission public toilets when they are not being used or are costing all of us far more than the value that they are providing.
Replacements and upgrades
Most of the public toilets in the MidCoast area are in good locations and continue to be needed to meet demand. Appropriate levels of maintenance help prolong the life of facilities but as their condition worsens over time inevitably there comes a point when the cost of maintenance becomes unjustifiable. For facilities that are in suitable locations (see Provision Framework) we have developed the following guidelines to determine the circumstances under which a toilet facility will be upgraded, refurbished or replaced.
Public Toilets Replacement and Upgrade Criteria
Existing facilities will be refurbished or upgraded where the following criteria are met:
• The location of the existing facility is appropriate; but the existing facility is not ‘fit for purpose’ and does not meet user requirements including disability access.
• The existing facility is in a poor physical condition and is costly to maintain; and
• Failures identified can be rectified cost effectively through refurbishment or upgrade (i.e. the lifecycle cost of the refurbished facility is less expensive than constructing a new facility).
Fit for purpose design criteria
When we are considering a specific public toilet, and its long-term viability we consider the following design criteria.
Public Toilets Fit for purpose Criteria
Matters to be considered in determining if a facility is fit for purpose include:
1. If the design and location/orientation of the facility aligns with Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) guidelines to provide safety.
2. If the capacity is adequate for the location and usage of the facility.
3. Whether the facility is inclusive for diverse groups of people and different needs (e.g. differences by gender, physical ability, age, parenting needs, etc
4. If the facility has good environmental performance.
5. Whether the condition of the facility might deter users.
Replacement of existing public toilets
Existing facilities will be replaced where Criteria 1-3 above are met but where the facilities cannot be economically maintained
We will replace, upgrade, or remove existing toilets based on an evidenced based criterion.
Access
Public toilets are intended to benefit all members of the community. This includes young children and the elderly, people with various mobility aids (e.g. crutches, walking sticks, walking frames, wheelchairs, and mobility scooters); and parents with prams and pushchairs to name a few. Barriers that may prevent people using or feeling comfortable using public toilets include physical barriers to access (such as narrow doors or tight corners, insufficient cubicle space, etc.); lack of aids or equipment; poor layout, fittings and fixtures that are difficult to manage; or restrictions on who can use the facility (for instance, baby change facilities that are only available to females).
Disability
Access requirements have changed over time and toilet blocks that complied with requirements when they were developed may no longer meet today’s standards. Current laws specifying inclusive access requirements for design, construction and modification of public toilets include the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standards 2010, together with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and Australian Standard AS1428.
Small door latches can be difficult to manage, especially for those with restricted manual dexterity. Doors opening into cubicles can be difficult to open if there is no handle and only a small latch.
Gender and Families
Segregated toilet blocks (i.e. separate male and female spaces) can create difficulties for parents needing to accompany a child of the opposite sex as well as for individuals who identify as nonbinary. Unisex, or gender-neutral toilets support families and social inclusion. They also have the advantage of making it easier for people with visual impairment, and they help to avoid queues at busy times. These facilities contain private cubicles with undercover semi-enclosed hand wash areas. They have no urinals and no enclosed shared spaces (except for caregivers, parents, etc. where needed).
However, we recognise that not everyone in the community is comfortable with using unisex toilets. Separate male and female cubicles may be able to be incorporated into the same overall layout depending on the size of the facility and other considerations. We will consider providing a mix of unisex, male-only and female-only cubicles on a case-by-case basis.
Parents accompanying young children often find standard cubicles too small and the toilet pans too large. Parents with babies also need somewhere to change nappies. We will seek to provide baby change tables in some locations. These tend to be in wheelchair accessible cubicles, which are unisex and spacious. This shared use can create hold-ups at busy times. Unfortunately, baby change tables are also often subject to vandalism. Separate unisex parenting cubicles with sturdy baby change tables will provide multiple benefits for parents and young children, especially at toilets located in parks and family-oriented locations.
Safety and security
Public safety is a high priority and includes reducing the risk of personal harm from accidents, pathogens or criminal or antisocial behaviour. Key factors that help people to feel safe using a public toilet include:
Public Toilet Safety Factors
• Dry, non-slip floors and high-quality finishes.
• Design features, fixtures or fittings that eliminate contact with surfaces after handwashing.
• Opportunities to keep valuables and clothing off the floor.
• Access to soap, water, and hand drying facilities.
• Cleanliness and absence of risky objects such as needles lying around.
• Toilets located in areas with high foot traffic and public surveillance.
• Toilets that are visited regularly.
• Good lighting inside and, if toilets are open outside of daylight hours, around the exterior.
• More than one entrance to the facility or doors directly off the street into cubicles.
• Large, clear signage to entries, indicating gender where relevant, that is obvious on approach.
• Doors that lock, and doors and partitions that extend to the floor.
• No vestibules, long shared corridors or maze-like entrances.
Vandalism
It is important that toilet facilities are secure when not in use to prevent costly damage that can detract from feelings of safety and comfort. Over recent years the MidCoast area has experienced an increasing incident of vandalism of our public facilities, specifically our toilets. This vandalism has a significant impact on both community access and enjoyment of these facilities, as well as the significant costs imposed on us through needing to repair this damage.
We aim to achieve better outcomes in relation to vandalism of our facilities through design features and monitoring, however, we rely heavily on the community to monitor and report incidents of vandalism of our facilities.
Every time a rock is thrown into a toilet cistern it costs all of us thousands of dollars. This, and the breaking of toilet doors, happens on a regular basis. We spend vast amounts of money and resources rectifying vandalism damage, which could be better used maintaining and building new toilets.
We can’t monitor all our facilities, so we rely on the community to keep an eye on them, and when there is damage to report it via our reporting systems. We are all in this together. A public toilet belongs to all of us, and we want them to be there, and be serviceable, when we need them.
Cleaning of our public toilets
It’s not enough to provide attractive, safe, and inclusive public toilets. When we visit a public toilet, we want them to be clean. People will accept an old facility, but they will not accept an unclean public toilet.
People will accept an old facility, but they will not accept an unclean public toilet.
We spend millions of dollars on our community facilities, and the last thing we want is to deliver poor community outcomes because they are not clean.
We have more than a hundred public toilets (see Action Plan), and most of them are on a regular cleaning schedule. This schedule is designed to ensure that our public toilets are clean. We can’t guarantee that they will always be clean when you visit them, but they will be most of the time. Our cleaning schedule also allows for more cleaning of our high visitation facilities. And in tourist season we adjust our cleaning schedule to ensure that these high visitation facilities are cleaned more often.
Our more remote facilities, such as at Rocky Crossing near Gloucester, doesn’t get cleaned. It is a camping “drop” toilet, with very small visitation. Toilets such as this are not on the cleaning schedule.
It’s not enough to provide attractive, safe, and inclusive public toilets. When we visit a public toilet, we want them to be clean.
“Bins4blokes”
Male incontinence is an issue that Council has been made aware of. Requests have been made by the community for the placement of “bins for blokes” in our public toilets for waste, much like bins are provided for feminine waste.
MidCoast Council supports this initiative; however, it is not intended that bins be placed in all male toilets, in all our public toilets. Rather, our approach will be that where a request for male bins is made to us, we will ascertain which public toilet the request is for, and we will then provide them in this facility. We will also indicate, through the placement of a sticker on the respective toilet door, that a receptacle is in that cubicle.
An action has been placed in the Action Plan to this regard.
Sport Amenity Buildings
Over the last ten years or so there has been a significant shift in what physical activities Australians are doing. People have moved away from structured sport into more unstructured activities. These include more walking, walking with dogs, fitness activities, including events such as Parkrun, and unstructured activities in our parks and reserves, including sports facilities. Many of these activities are now undertaken on sports fields when they are not being used by the resident sports club.
Amenity buildings at sport facilities contain toilets, changerooms, admin areas and storage. These facilities are only used by the resident sports clubs and remain locked when not in use by the club. One option that is available to us is to make more efficient use of these facilities and to limit the impact on limited resources by making these facilities open to the public.
Therefore, in the action plan we have identified several sport amenity buildings that can be converted for two-way community and sport access. This means that the toilets in these buildings will be able to be used by people walking their dogs in the evening, and other activities, as well as for sport.
Opening Hours
Many of our public toilets are not open all the time. Facilities are opened and closed for different periods of time depending on the projected usage. The community is able to find out the timings for individual facilities by checking the National Public Toilet Map (see below).
We are aware that some of the public toilet facilities that are designated to be open all the time do not have internal, or external lighting. It is our aim, as we upgrade our existing facilities (see Action Plan) and build new ones, that toilets that are designated to be open all the time will have appropriate lighting provided.
The National Public Toilet Map2
We support the development of and updating of the National Public Toilet Map.
The National Public Toilet Map shows the location of more than 23,000 public and private public facilities across Australia, including toilets, adult change and baby care. Information is provided about each toilet, such as location, accessibility details, opening hours and features like sharps disposal and showers.
The Toilet Map improves independence and quality of life for the estimated 4.8 million Australians who are affected by incontinence. It is also convenient for people with young families and those holidaying or travelling to new locations.
We actively encourage both our residents and our visitors to use this resource when they are looking for a public toilet in the MidCoast region. We update the national database whenever we upgrade or build a new public toilet.
The National Public Toilet Map is a great resource, and we encourage all to use it.
2 https://toiletmap.gov.au/3969
Public Toilet Design Checklist
When we are designing new public toilets there are design considerations that we look to provide in all new and upgraded facilities. These considerations are contained in a checklist that guides us. These considerations will not be included in all our facilities but indicates the optimum that should be considered and potentially provided. This checklist can also be used for sport amenity buildings.
Design Consideration
Environmental
No adverse impacts on the environment within the park
Signage
Location of toilets identified from streets
Signage meets visibility and other standards
Design and Aesthetics
Design does not adversely impact environs
Modern, clean, appealing building design – outside
Modern, clean, appealing building design – inside
Inviting general appearance and comfort inside
Contemporary design layout
Ample natural light inside
Good artificial lighting inside when needed
Vandal proof
Ample natural ventilation inside
Attractive but safe landscaping
Safety
Building entrances have good visibility
Entrances, exits and access well-lit in open hours
Building is not secluded
Action Yes/No
Design Consideration
No hiding places nearby
No/permeable visual barrier
Toilet located on street (not centre of park)
High foot traffic/public surveillance
Small gaps beneath door/cubicles
No vestibule
Non-slip floors
Space around cubicle doors
Safe wash basin area
Health and sanitary provisions
Sanitary disposal units in female
Sanitary disposal units in male
Sharps disposal in all toilets
Adequate finishes and fixtures, include toilet seats
Air or paper hand drying facilities
Personal items can be kept off the floor
Hands-free solutions (sensor flush, few doors)
Baby change facilities available
Soap dispenser
Access and physical assistance
Disability toilet available Male & Female
Ambulant disabilities Male & Female
Toilet facility fully compliant with access standards
Design Consideration Action Yes/No
Gender
Equal accommodation for males and females
Unisex toilet facilities available
Gender neutral baby change facilities available
The checklist assists us in providing contemporary amenity that are attractive, safe, and inclusive.
PUBLIC TOILET ACTION PLAN
Public Toilet Action Plan
The following section provides the future Action Plan for our toilet infrastructure. Some of the actions contained within the Action Plan were identified within the OSRS. Their identification came from community feedback and from analysis. In developing this action plan the existing toilet portfolio has been assessed for its functionality and location.
The following table show the actions to add to or improve our toilet portfolio over the period of this strategy. The Action Plan is displayed with the following metrics:
Key Description
Park
Reference number
Site Park in which the facility is located
Suburb Physical location of the facility
Details the individual type and capacity of the facility
U – Urinal
MC – Men’s cubicle
Capacity
LC – Ladies cubicle
UC – Unisex cubicle
DC – Disability cubicle
Drop – bush toilet without septic
General description of facility:
Very Poor
Condition
Action
Details the specific action to be carried out for the facility:
Maintain – Regular cleaning and minor maintenance will maintain the functionality of the facility.
Refurbish - minor works to the internal of the facility.
Replace – replace the existing facility with a similar facility with matching capacity at end of life
Upgrade – The current facility will not meet future need and a new facility with more capacity is needed.
Remove – Remove facility and do not replace.
Priority
Priority of delivery
N/A – No action. Maintain facility
Short - 0-3 years
Medium – 4-8 years
Long – 9-12 years
Justification and evidence for decision
Rationale
(see How we prioritise the actions section in the Finance chapter)
are no structural issues with this facility which is almost new. The facility is meeting local need. However, there is very poor water capacity. The toilets and taps run off a 200ltr tank that lasts only a few days. Look at larger tank. 2
structural issues with this facility. The facility is meeting local need. The facility is not accessible.
is very little demand for the toilet, and the only activity in the reserve is from canoeing. If the facility is maintained it will meet the limited Need. If visitation increases a new facility will be needed.
structural issues with this facility. High need from beach activity. This is the main toilet facility in the area and so needs expanding. Include beach showers in vicinity of the facility.
Short Meeting high need. However, visitation to beach should be monitored to ensure both ends of the beach are serviced by their respective facilities. The facility is heavily rust affected by sea spray coming in through panels. Will need major maintenance or replacement in the short term. Look at timber frame structure due to proximity to coastal conditions.
Short Even though the facility is new it is heavily rust affected by sea spray coming in through panels. Will need major maintenance or replacement in the short term. Look at timber frame structure due to proximity to coastal conditions. There is high visitation to the southern end of the beach. This facility is also used as a “town” public toilet.
Short This is an old toilet that needs to be removed in the short term.
Investigate the provision of an RV dumpsite to replace the toilet, which is currently being used for that purpose.
The facility is modern and as long as it is maintained will remain viable for the length of this Strategy.
There are no structural issues with this facility. The facility is meeting Need but will need upgrading or replacing in the medium term.
This facility is currently meeting the need of visitors. Most users of this facility are tourists, rather than locals. The facility is supported by the public toilet on Bulahdelah Way, just across the river from this facility. As long as the facility is part of an ongoing maintenance program it will remain viable for the duration of this Strategy.
There are no structural issues with this
This toilet is a highly used by visitors passing through the town. It is meeting the need of travellers. There are no structural issues with the facility. However, car parking is an issue.
This facility is currently meeting the local need, however during tourist season this facility does not have enough capacity to meet all need. Work with Transport for NSW to upgrade this facility to increase its capacity.
This facility has no structural issues and is meeting the need for public amenity of both locals and visitors. There are some minor maintenance issues such as replacing doors.
Meeting need. No structural issues with the facility. If usage of the tennis courts increases, then consider upgrading facility in the Medium term.
Coomba Aquatic Club
Meeting need. No structural issues with the facility. Will not need upgrading in the life of this strategy.
Currently meeting need. No structural issues with the facility. Provision of a new playspace in 2024 will create more need for a contemporary facility. Demolish and build new facility in Medium term.
The condition of the facility necessitates replacement. Heavily used by boat owners (regional facility) and users of the back beach at Crowdy. Needs replacing.
No structural issues with the facility. However, suffers from coastal conditions, major maintenance burden from rusting of structure. Look at enclosing roof and walls to stop salt laden wind rusting interior. Currently meeting need. Outside showers well utilised.
No structural issues with the facility. Meeting the need for a passive park. Minor maintenance; paint, tiles, pans, sinks. Replace in medium term.
Long No structural issues with the facility. The park has become popular for fishing because of the jetty. Pump-out system. Consider extending the facility with more capacity if viable.
N/A There is very little demand for the toilet, and the only activity in the reserve is from canoeing. As long as the facility is maintained it will meet the current Need. If visitation increases a new facility will be needed.
Location specific. Current facility has enough capacity to meet current need. No structural issues with the facility.
N/A There are no structural issues with this facility. Very little activity is taking place in Collendina Reserve, due to a lack of embellishment. However, because the facility in on the access to the beach this facility is servicing surfers, walkers and dog walkers using One Mile Beach and the Lions Trail, and in some cases, golfers coming from the golf course.
There are currently no structural issues with the facility. John Holland Park is the main park in Forster. As such it receives the most visitation. The Playspace Strategy recommends a new District level playspace for the park.
There will be need to replace with a more contemporary and larger facility in the medium term.
There are currently no structural issues with the facility. An internal upgrade was undertaken in 2024. Future demand for this facility, along with its age and accessibility will necessitate a new or upgraded facility in the future. Future demand will be driven by a new playspace and other improvements to the park.
This is a good example of a facility that meets the criteria set out in the planning section of this strategy. It is located no more than 400m from all businesses in the Forster CBD. It is the primary public toilet facility for the town.
There are no structural issues with this facility which is almost new. The facility is meeting local, and visitor need.
There are no structural issues with this facility. The location services the baths, boating and other activities. There is an issue with its location, as it requires children to walk through the car park to get to it. Additionally, the car park is always busy, and so passersby can’t get a park. The Boating Infrastructure Plan recommends converting the boat ramp to non-motorised boats only, so this should reduce boat usage and dangerous backing of cars and trailers. There is no alternative location to build a similar sized facility.
There are no structural issues with this facility which is almost new. The facility is meeting local, and visitor need. However, it is subject to regular vandalism.
This facility is located in the existing “Beach Bums” café building. The whole building will be demolished and replaced when the Forster SLSC building is completed. A contemporary facility is also located 100m to the south at the ocean baths.
There are no structural issues with this facility which is almost new and part of the SLS Club. The facility is meeting local need. However, the facility needs a connecting pathway from the playground end of the park, as when it gets wet people are forced to walk through the carpark.
Meets needs of passing traffic. No residents using the facility.
This small singular toilet has no structural issues; however, it is aged and will need replacing with a contemporary facility with more capacity, including male and female facilities, during the life of this Strategy.
The facility has only one entry and is facing away from surveillance, making it a security risk. With the new playspace, visitation to the park will have increased significantly. Replace in the short term.
There are no functional issues with this facility. It is anticipated that visitation to the Park will increase over the life of this Strategy. The facility is aging and will need refurbishing in the Medium term.
Investigate options for the upgrade of the heritage listed grandstand. New grandstand to include changerooms, officials’ rooms, publicly accessible toilets.
If the grandstand cannot be upgraded an alternative action would be upgrading the existing public toilets on the northern side of the grandstand and refurbishing the southern end for an accessible public toilet.
This facility has no structural issues. If maintained it should provide another 10 years of use, at which point it will need to be upgraded to a more contemporary facility.
Provide accessible toilets.
This facility has no structural issues. The majority of visitation to this facility is from tourists passing through town. Secondary to that is visitation to Billabong Park. Once the playspace and skatepark are upgraded this facility will see an increase in visitation. The facility will
need to be upgraded to include accessible toilets in the Long term of this strategy.
There are no structural issues with this facility. With regular maintenance it is anticipated that this facility will not need work for the duration of this strategy.
Main toilet for the foreshore parks in Harrington. No structural issues. The upgrade to the skatepark and playspace will increase visitation to the park. Consider upgrading this facility in the long term, including a change in design to allow for more than one user at a time. 50
There are no structural issues with the facility. Good location. High use. It is often damp and dark, being caused by sea spray blowing in and limited lighting. Upgrade lighting in short term.
There are no structural issues with this facility. The facility is aging and will need upgrading in the Medium term. The capacity of the facility for the park is acceptable.
No structural issues with this facility. In good location for when the nearby playspace is upgraded. 53
There are no structural issues with this facility. Meeting need for the park and the surrounding area. A minor maintenance upgrade in 2024 was undertaken.
Vic Shoesmith Reserve
Investigate the upgrade of the public toilet.
There are no structural issues with the facility. However, due to its natural surrounds there is ongoing deterioration due to tree litter. Additionally, increase demand due tourist seasons will see it exceed capacity in the future. Consider relocating within Vic Reserve away from the littoral Rainforest edge
This facility is in poor condition and needs replacing. It is the only public amenity in Marlee and also services the tennis court. The capacity should be increased to address future demand.
This facility is the main public toilet for locals and travellers who are passing through Nabiac. Shares travellers’ usage with Serial #63. Remove Exeloo with a contemporary toilet with multiple cubicles.
There are no structural issues with this facility. Currently meeting the need of the park users. Should continue to meet future need.
There are no structural issues with this
Currently meeting need of the park and its users. There is a recommendation in the Boating Infrastructure Plan to build a new canoe slide in the park. This may see an increase in future use.
68
N/A There are no structural issues with this facility. It is meeting both local and visitor need.
Replace Long The existing facility is in poor condition and is currently closed. A new facility of similar capacity will meet future Need, however, the suitability of the site should be analysed.
As this is a new “drop” toilet there are no structural issues. Visitation to the reserve should be monitored as an increase will see a need to provide more capacity at the facility. 70 Number
Short There are no structural issues with this facility, however, has sea spray issues like a number of other coastal facilities. Seal Rocks is a high visitation location. Use of this facility should be monitored as any further increase will see a need to provide more capacity at the facility.
There are no structural issues with this facility. Current provision is meeting the small visitation to the reserve. The facility will need replacing in the Long term. 72 Recreation Area
Long There are no structural issues with this facility. There is a masterplan for this park that will see major upgrades over
the Long term. This will necessitate an extension to the existing facility.
There are no structural issues with this facility. The park is a road rest stop, and so the toilet is used by both day visitors and caravaners who stay the night. If there is an increase in visitation in the future recommend extending the existing facility. 74
are no structural issues with this facility. However, the facility is limited to one unisex cubicle. Recommend upgrade the facility in the Medium term with more capacity.
for
are no structural issues with this facility. There is low visitation and as long as minor works are carried out the facility will last in the Long term.
are no structural issues with this facility. Regular maintenance and minor works will ensure it remains viable for the Long term.
structural issues with this facility. However, it is aged and will need replacing in the life of this Strategy.
79 Brambles Reserve Tarbuck Bay
80
81 Muscio Park Taree
The park has visitation from Bucketts Way and so regular visitation is experienced. Long term replacement.
There are no structural issues with this facility. This reserve is a popular stop for people travelling The Lakes Way. Recommend upgrade the facility in the Short term with more capacity and connect to the sewer system.
This facility is poorly located and is superfluous to community need. There is no passing pedestrian traffic, and the site is not a high attractor for visitation, compared to the other side of the bridge. There are several public toilets within 400m of this facility.
This facility is no longer fit for purpose for this park. The park, including the sports fields and passive areas is a high attractor for visitation, including for dog walking and the new trail connecting the path to houses and Victoria St has increased visitation.
There are no structural issues with this facility. However, the design of the facility does not meet modern community expectations. To be replaced in 2025.
This facility has reached its end of life. This reserve has increasing visitation, and the toilet is not suitable for many visitors.
Harry Bennett Park Taree
This facility is providing limited value. To help activate this underused park the replacement of the existing facility with a contemporary facility is recommended.
There are no structural issues with this facility. However, it is poorly designed, which is a safety issue, especially at night. Recommend replacing this facility with a new toilet that is more centrally located in the park.
This facility is in excellent condition and is in an excellent location. The facility is fully accessible and meets the need of a number of different user groups, including Victoria St pedestrians, playspace visitors and riverside pedestrian traffic.
Long There are no structural issues with this facility. Replace existing facility in the Long term. Investigate relocating closer to the River Stage.
There are no structural issues with this facility. Regular maintenance and minor works will ensure it remains viable for the Long term. Providing new concrete pathway access and disability parking to improve accessibility in the shorth term.
This facility is having a minor update carried out in 2024. A new playspace is being provided and so a replacement of this facility is justified.
are no structural issues with this facility. Due for a minor maintenance upgrade in 2024.
There are no structural issues with this facility, however, it is aged and is not fully accessible. Marine Drive Reserve is the premier park in Tea Gardens, and the toilet is not fit for purpose for this park. High visitation, both from locals and visitors necessitates a more contemporary facility. Due for a minor maintenance upgrade in 2024. Consider relocating to a more central location along the linear park.
This facility is new and is in excellent condition. It is in a high visitation park and is therefore an important facility within the overall portfolio. With a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule this facility will last many years beyond the life of this Strategy.
This facility is new and is in excellent condition. With a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule this facility will last many years beyond the life of this Strategy.
This facility is in the Rockpool café. This facility is due to be replaced by the new amenity building to be built near the playspace. When the new amenity is built this facility will be repurposed.
The facility is fully accessible with a separate all access toilet. The toilet, located in the Community Park is heavily used by passing traffic on The Buckets Way. This is a popular designated Rest Stop. The Playspace Strategy has
N/A
identified a new Local (see PSS for definition) playspace for this location. This will intensify the visitation and use of this facility. This facility will need to be replaced in the Long term.
This facility has no structural issues. The design matches the historic nature of the park. The recently completed Wingham Central Park Masterplan (2024) and its recommendations will not necessitate an upgrade of this facility.
This is a new toilet and there are no structural issues with the facility. These toilets service the sporting fields. Due to being out of Wingham township there is very little general community use of this facility.
Maintain N/A
There are no structural issues with this facility. The facility is fully accessible. With a regular cleaning and maintenance program this facility will be functional for the life of this strategy.
There are no structural issues with this facility. The facility is servicing a small camping group, and so does not experience high visitation. A regular cleaning and maintenance program should ensure that this facility remains viable for many years.
Sport Amenity Conversions
New Facilities
Investigate the installation of public toilets at the Recreation Club.
Investigate the construction of a toilet in the vicinity of the educational shelter in the Cattai Wetlands.
Provision of a new amenity building, including public toilets that will cater for visitors to the Rockpool, the playspace and beach goers and surfers.
With the relocation of the skatepark to the nearby Railway Bridge Reserve, the provision of a new multi-purpose court and a FOLA the use of this reserve will justify a new toilet facility.
112 Council cemeteries Whole LGA N/A N/A Investigate the provision of new toilets in high use cemeteries.
Short There are currently several public toilets in some of our cemeteries. Other high use cemeteries will be considered for new facilities, including Wingham.
113 Council wide Council wide N/A N/A On request male waste bins will be placed in specific facilities.
Short The issue of male waste bins for male incontinence is important. The provision of male waste binds will be undertaken in specific facilities where the need is justified.
MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Management and Maintenance
It’s no use building it and then forgetting it, you must maintain it. Our community wants well maintained parks and facilities.
Public toilets are critical to enhancing visitation to our parks, as well as enhancing the visitor experience. However, public toilets are also highly complex, sensitive to abuse, and very expensive to maintain. Therefore, public toilets are a major investment by us in our parks and reserves.
We conduct regular maintenance in our public toilets, with contractors doing daily cleaning on the more high-profile facilities.
In alignment with the MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035 (OSRS) we will seek to manage our parks and facilities in the face of uncertainty, created by challenges such as climate change, increasing impacts from overuse, and vandalism, through the impact assessment model, which is detailed in the OSRS. Maintenance of our eco-systems is by far the most critical component of providing high quality spaces for our community. It is fairly easy to build something, but far more difficult to maintain it As detailed previously in this Strategy planning and maintaining the space, before the assets in them is our approach. Once we have confidence that the park is attractive to visitation we can then plan for and maintain the assets in the park.
All of the open space in the MidCoast local government area, and their associated buildings and infrastructure are maintained and managed by MidCoast Council. The high level of visitation to our reserves and the use of any infrastructure in them requires careful management and intensive maintenance of infrastructure and resources. Feedback from the Draft Open Space and Recreation Needs Analysis 2023 indicated that visitors are generally satisfied with the cleanliness and maintenance of the individual parks and reserves. However, the community expect the assets to be maintained to a high standard.
This section of the Strategy details the services that we provide in managing and maintaining the sites to ensure that they are well maintained and therefore will be available for future generations.
In maintaining and managing our public open spaces and the assets in them the following activities are considered. Public toilets have an impact on all these considerations.
Activities and Events: Some of our reserves are also used for ‘one-off temporary events’ – the approval for events is assessed on the potential impact and time of the proposed activities, detailed under our Use and Hire of Public Open Spaces.
Waste Services: Garbage is collected from individual bin collection areas throughout the parks. Bins are collected by garbage trucks daily, both garbage and recycling trucks enter the neighbouring streets around each reserve. A number of our reserves do not have bins.
Maintenance: We oversee all the maintenance requirements of the individual reserves and assets. Council work crews have a program of maintenance seeing them do routine maintenance on a park roster basis. We are generally responsible for maintaining assets such as turf, gardens, paving, roads, fences, handrails and cleaning. We are also responsible for cleaning any facilities and amenities throughout the reserves. A service level review of all maintenance being provided by us is to be conducted in the short term, with a view of developing a Desired Standards of Service model.
Facility Maintenance: We maintain the facilities in our public open spaces where they are located.
Building Maintenance: Any buildings located in reserves are maintained and repaired by Council
Environmental Services: We are responsible for identifying and putting in place energy, water savings and renewable opportunities within reserves. This includes identifying ways to reduce waste to landfill; encouraging visitors to use sustainable transport options; educating the community on the environmental significance of the area; and preparing for the future impacts of climate change.
Safety and Regulations: Our rangers patrol the individual parks on a regular basis, enforcing regulations to promote safety and equitable access for visitors. Activities that adversely affect other patrons’ pleasure of reserves are regulated. On occasion rangers and other Council staff need to manage antisocial behaviour across the reserves. Controlled activities include dog walking, consumption of alcohol, commercial training, ball games, bicycle riding, skateboard riding, use of portable barbecues and littering. Dogs are allowed off-leash in those reserves that have been chosen for the activity. Where off-leash is not chosen dogs must be on-leash at all times. Dogs are prohibited within 10 metres of children’s playgrounds and the barbecues. Dog regulation signage is provided where required.
Pathway and trail Maintenance: People like to walk or cycle on high quality paths and trails. The action plan in this strategy sets out the projects that we want to undertake over the period of the plan. But we can’t just build these paths and trails, we need to maintain them. We regularly upgrade and maintain our path network, as we identify issues and seek to improve the network. Many “missing links” are identified by the community, and where possible we will seek to “fill in” these gaps.
The following regulations are enforced in those public open spaces where indicated:
• No alcohol
• No camping or staying overnight
• No un-authorised ball games
• No commercial activities without Council approval
• No skateboards or rollerblades (outside of skateparks)
• No kites or kite activities
• No portable barbecues or open fires
• No smoking on the beach
It is our aim to keep vehicular activity within our parks to a minimum. However, it is necessary for service vehicles to access our reserves. Oftentimes access is gated to individual parks. Vehicles that require access include the garbage truck and staff with Utes. Occasional access is required by other agency vehicles. Emergency vehicles may require access to individual reserves. When service vehicles do access parks all care is taken, and public safety is paramount.
FINANCIALS
Financials
Funding for implementing this strategy will either be allocated for future upgrade works (capital works) or maintenance and management. Funding for the management and maintenance is currently provided through our annual budget allocation.
To fund the proposed new or upgrade works, we will set aside capital works funds in future years that will cover a percentage of the proposals in the strategy, which will be combined with any future grant funding.
Council’s budget for the strategy is not expected to accommodate all proposals in the short- or long-term plan.
Additional funding options that may be investigated include:
• State and federal grants
• Voluntary planning agreements
• Section 7.11 development contributions
• Partnerships with community groups or businesses.
The amount of funding through these streams is difficult to anticipate as it is dependent on grant programs.
Financial
The sustainable protection of our public open spaces, and the embellishment that we undertake on them to meet community need is expensive. The Action Plan in this strategy represents a significant investment by Council in the long-term viability of our public open space portfolio. The life cycle of this strategy is 12 years, and so the projects identified form a works schedule for that period. All projects have been given a time period priority, based on their importance to the community, and to ensure that infrastructure on our open spaces meet contemporary standards and remain safe and functional.
We do not bare all the financial burden of maintaining world class open space and facilities Both state and federal governments acknowledge their role in protecting our environment, as well as ensuring that our communities are healthy, happy and active. They therefore provide contributing funds to the provision and upgrading of open space infrastructure. However, ongoing cost (OPEX – Operational Expense) is borne exclusively by us. Therefore, the projects identified in the Action Plan have been well considered and have been driven by feedback provided by the community, on what they want their open spaces to be.
Even though the projects in this strategy are meant to be delivered within the life cycle of this plan, it is anticipated that some may not. In these cases, those projects will be tested in future reviews of the strategy, and if confirmed that they are still needed they will be “rolled over” into future versions.
How did we prioritise the actions?
We used four connected decision drivers to identify both the actions and their priority.
These are listed in the table below:
Decision Driver Rationale
Evidence approach
Equitable provision
Asset portfolio condition
Each action has been tested through community feedback, analysis of community need, analysis of current activity trends and its impacts on the environment. The priority placed on each action is therefore a result of extensive analysis
Actions were also developed through an equitable lens, in that each location within the LGA was considered for what they have received in the past, how long since that location received a new facility and the feasibility of delivering their individual projects at a certain point in time (e.g., availability of funding).
As has been noted in the OSRS the state of our recreation portfolio is aged, and some of the individual components are no longer fit for purpose. In developing the actions and their priorities the condition of existing infrastructure, and its projected life was a strong determinant in setting its priority.
Financial Sustainability
The prioritisation of the actions in the Action plan, and the ability for projects to progress to delivery in the future, has also been influenced by considering the associated financial operating model and/or the long-term asset management requirements in minimising future financial burdens to Council. This financial planning of actions also includes the consideration of access to future potential funding programs, the funds of which the vast majority of the actions will require.
Environmental considerations Infrastructure, such as toilets, by their very nature, directly impact our natural environment. In providing these facilities we have an impact on the very thing that we seek to protect. Therefore, considering the impact on our natural environment during the planning phase of a potential new toilet facility provides a clear position on whether the facility should progress, and what order it should be in compared to other facilities.
If circumstances change, such as new funding programs, changes within individual communities, or changes in community participation we will revisit the priorities. This might mean a community comes to us and asks for a project to be brought forward, which, when considered, can be done, we will.
Not all actions listed will be completed in the life cycle of the Strategy. The review process identified will re-consider each action to ascertain its continuing applicability.
Ongoing financials – Maintenance
Recreation infrastructure is often highly dynamic, technical, innovative and bespoke. Open spaces themselves, unless they are national parks, being preserved in their natural state for ecosystem and diversity protection, require regular maintenance to maintain them to a standard that is acceptable to the community. Our ultimate outcome is for our open spaces to be visited by the community, to achieve that outcome the open spaces must be maintained. However, that comes with costs.
These costs are ongoing and are often referred to as OPEX (Operational Expense). Maintenance forms one component of OPEX, but which is the most visual, with Council staff often seen in our open spaces doing maintenance. These operations come at a cost. Below is an indicative table for general maintenance of public open spaces. It should be noted that MidCoast Council has an open space portfolio of 1600ha (16,000,000m2).
Grant Management
The majority of recreation infrastructure provided on public open space by local government is funded, either jointly or fully, by grants. These grant programs are administered by either the NSW or Federal governments, through numerous funding programs. MidCoast Council does not have the financial resources to be able to fund all projects that need to be undertaken on our public open spaces, and so relies upon grants. Both Council and community groups are often eligible to apply for grants.
Council relies on community groups to not only make us aware of what they want, but also to advocate for it. Community advocates speaking with state and federal MP’s can often motivate their representatives to provide grant funding. There are several funding programs that are designed for local MPs to work with the community to identify and then apply for funding. We encourage community groups to be active in this regard.
Review and monitoring
If this strategy is to remain relevant in the future it is essential that its implementation is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure any relevant changes are incorporated. Changes that may need to be addressed include changes in community participation, project priorities, funding resources and new opportunities for future upgrades
Given that community expectation and requirements change over time, this strategy also needs to have some flexibility to adapt to any changes of circumstance.
It is recommended that the strategy be reviewed in the following sequences and time spans:
• Annually; review progress and delivery of action plan
• Every two years: review management and administration structures and update priorities
• Every five years: do a major review of all analysis and rationale. Review results against survey information, photographic record and register of correspondence.
• Every 10 years: update the strategy.