Council to seek funding for toilets

Government funding is to be sought for more public toilets in the Queenstown Lakes district, which has been caught short by its booming visitor population.

In a report to the Queenstown Lakes District Council's community and services committee, property adviser Blake Hoger said the increased resident population and thriving visitor numbers had placed pressure on the district's infrastructure, including public toilets.

"Council will be aware from media reports, anecdotal accounts from the public and their own observations that some of the district's reserves have been polluted with human waste.

"Predominantly, reserves used for camping, hiking etc are the worst polluted.

"An attributing factor ... is either the lack of toilet facilities in the surrounding area, or insufficient facilities to cope with demand."

In Budget 2017 the previous government announced a new tourism infrastructure fund to help local authorities meet public infrastructure needs where visitor numbers were placing pressure on local communities.

To qualify infrastructure projects had to meet several criteria, including that the infrastructure must be "significantly used" by tourists.

A council-commissioned report into the existing facilities in the district and where more may be required found the majority of the toilets proposed for upgrade and new toilets were likely to meet the funding criteria.

The report recommends replacement of a single cubicle Norski toilet on the Glenorchy foreshore and reserve this financial year, because it was "inadequate to meet the minimum level of service requirements" for the present resident and visitor communities, let alone the projected numbers, as well as a new toilet facility, with changing sheds, at Shotover Country.

The latter, however, was unlikely to qualify for funding.

A long-drop toilet at Lake Hayes, near the rowing club, and the Kingston toilet facilities have been earmarked for replacement in the 2019-20 year.

New facilities at Isthmus Peak, Luggate Red Bridge and the Upper Clutha River Outlet are all proposed in the 2020-21 financial year, while new toilets and changing sheds at Jacks Point have been pegged in the 2021-22 financial year, the latter also unlikely to qualify for funding.

In almost all cases the report recommended Exceloo facilities which had an option to include a user pays facility, with payment either in cash or Paywave.

While that provided an opportunity to generate income to fund the maintenance of the toilets, there was a risk users would not have the means to pay, or would "choose not to".

"This may result in further pollution of the reserve."

The committee resolved to apply for TIF funding in the next round for the high and medium priority projects - Glenorchy, Lake Hayes, Kingston, Isthmus Peak, Luggate Red Bridge and Albert Town.