Consultation Service Report for

Belfast City Council

PUBLIC CONVENIENCE PROVISION

Baseline Assessment

MARCH 2011 Consultation Service Report

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Executive Summary

2.1 Assessment period 2.2 Report analysis 2.3 The current toilet estate 2.4 Locations of public toilets 2.5 Levels of provision 2.6 Accessible toilets and DDA Compliance 2.7 Changing Places Toilet Provision 2.8 Signage 2.9 Toilet Provision Strategy

3. Findings

3.1 Assessment of current provision 3.2 Signage 3.3 Cleaning & Maintenance 3.4 Basic Facilities 3.5 Accessible Toilets – Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) Compliance 3.6 Baby Change Facilities 3.7 Changing Places Toilets 3.8 Opening Times 3.9 Night time economy provision 3.10 Provision of temporary toilets 3.11 Partnership provision of publicly accessible toilet facilities 3.12 Charging for use

4. Recommendations for improvements

4.1 Equality 4.2 Accessible toilets 4.3 Babies & young children 4.4 Changing Places Toilets 4.5 Security 4.6 Cleaning Regimes 4.7 Management monitoring standards 4.8 Loo of the Year Awards 4.9 Partnership (Community) Toilet Scheme 4.10 Charging for use 4.11 Opening hours 4.12 Signage 4.13 Parking spaces adjacent to accessible toilets 4.14 Toilet provision strategy

2 5. Opportunities

5.1 Mobile cleaning teams v full time attendants 5.2 Charge for use implications 5.3 Contracting out all cleaning & maintenance 5.4 The Council using Section 106 5.5 Contractors providing funding 5.6 Realising the value of existing assets 5.7 Commercial public toilet providers taking over provision 5.8 Use of vacant shops 5.9 Opening all Council buildings toilets to the public 5.10 Introducing a Partnership (Community) Toilet scheme

6. BTA Summary of Best Practice in ‘Away from Home’ toilet Provision

Appendices/Analysis

Appendix A: Belfast Toilet Facilities Matrix Appendix B: Belfast Toilet Key Features Matrix Appendix C: Belfast Toilet Accessible Toilets – Access and Key Features Appendix D: Belfast Toilet Baby Change Features Matrix Appendix E: Belfast Toilets: Population in Greater Belfast Postcodes Appendix F: Public Toilet Provision Benchmarking Appendix G: Belfast Public Toilet Usage Trend Appendix H: Comparisons of Public Toilet opening times Appendix I: HSE – The event safety guide (The Purple Guide)

Assessment reports

Public Toilets Appendix J: Agnes Street West Belfast Appendix K: Antrim Road North Belfast Appendix L: Arthur Lane Central Belfast Appendix M: Bankmore Street/Dublin Road South Belfast Appendix N: Belfast City Hall Appendix O: Church Lane Central Belfast Appendix P: Connswater East Belfast Appendix Q: Custom House Square Central Belfast Appendix R: Drumglass Park South Belfast Appendix S: Gasworks South Belfast Appendix T: Hope Street Belfast Appendix U: Lombard Street Central Belfast Appendix V: Ormeau Park South Belfast Appendix W: Shaftsbury Square South Belfast Appendix X: Winetavern Street Central Belfast

Parks toilets Appendix Y: Aderman Tommy Patton Park Bowling Green Appendix Z: Ballysillan Bowling Pavilion Appendix AA: Belfast Castle – First Floor Toilets Appendix AB: Belfast Castle – Adventure Playground Appendix AC: Belfast Castle – Cellar Toilets Appendix AD: Belfast Castle – Ground Floor Toilets 3 Appendix AE: Belfast Castle – Restaurant Toilets Appendix AF: Botanic Gardens Bowling Green Appendix AG: Botanic Gardens Toilet Block Appendix AH: Falls Park West Belfast Appendix AI: Grove Bowling Green Appendix AJ: Mallusk Playing Fields Appendix AK: Malone House Barnetts Demense Appendix AL: Musgrave Bowling Pavilion Appendix AM: Orangefield Bowling Green Appendix AN: Ormeau Park Bowling Green Appendix AO: Sir Thomas & Lady Dixon Park – Stables Restaurant Appendix AP: Victoria Park Appendix AQ: Victoria Park Bowling Park Appendix AR: Water Works Multi Sports Pavilion Appendix AS: Wederburn Bowling Pavilion Appendix AT: Woodvale Bowling Club

Leisure centres Appendix AU: Andersontown Leisure Centre Appendix AV: Avoniel Leisure Centre Appendix AW: Ballysillan Leisure Centre Appendix AX: Falls Leisure Centre Appendix AY: Grove Wellbeing Centre Appendix AZ: Loughside Recreation Centre Appendix BA: Olympia Leisure Centre Appendix BB: Shankhill Leisure Centre Appendix BC: Whiterock Leisure Centre

Other Venues

Appendix BD: St. Georges Market Appendix BE: Waterfront Hall Appendix BF: Ulster Hall

Location overviews of parks & cemeteries without toilets

4 1. Introduction

The British Toilet Association (BTA) is primarily an information and advisory body with a simple mission, namely:

‘To represent the interests and aspirations of ‘Away from Home’ toilet providers, suppliers and users, of all types and to act as the catalyst for change in the pursuit of Standards of Excellence in all areas of public toilet provision and management’.

Since its inception in 1999, the Association has give support to a wide range of Local Authorities who have been required to carry out a review of their public toilet services and/or have been ‘encouraged’ to address serious resident/community concerns about current poor standards of Public Convenience (PC) provision.

The Association promotes the annual Loo of the Year Awards (LOYA) scheme which was introduced in 1987. LOYA inspectors have examined well over 60,000 PC facilities during the past twenty four years and have, as a result, attained a good knowledge of current standards of provision throughout the UK.

Local authorities are increasingly turning their attention to PC provision strategy, as opposed to simply raising standards of existing facilities, in response to consumer concerns.

PC provision has always been and currently is, a discretionary public service, provided by Local Authorities to satisfy community needs.

Belfast City Council takes pride in the provision of public toilets and has been a member of BTA since 2002. The Council also supported BTA in hosting the 2005 World Toilet Summit - the first ever held in the West between 26th and 29th September at The Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Nearly 400 delegates from 33 countries attended the event which was supported by a number of funding and sponsor partners. The Council is OHSAS 18001 (Health & Safety) and ISO 14001 (Quality Standard) accredited.

The Council also enter toilets into the Loo of the Year Awards (LOYA) and ten of the thirteen toilets entered into the 2010 LOYA achieved a 5 Star Grade. Overall Belfast City Council were placed sixth in the Premier League for 2010 local authority public toilet entries, a commendable achievement.

Belfast City Council’s Waste Management Dept. engaged with BTA to produce a detailed assessment of its current public toilet provision (fifteen public toilets) and benchmarking of the scale of provision with some comparable sized local authorities in the UK. The Consultation Report also includes an assessment of Belfast City Council's Parks & Leisure Dept. current public toilets (thirty one toilets), that have been considered suitable for further consideration of joint involvement where both the general public and parks users can benefit. There are also reports included for three other venues that may provide publicly accessible toilets. (Refer Appendices BD to BF)

The basis of the report is to provide information to be used to assist with planning for the future and establishing if Belfast is providing enough public toilets, whether the toilets are in the correct locations, and how Belfast's current provision is ranked with comparable cities.

BTA are not aware of any published Public Toilet Strategy document for the City of Belfast.

5

2. Executive Summary

2.1 Assessment period

The assessments were completed over a period from Thursday 6th January 2011 to Wednesday 28th March 2011 and the Toilets Assessment Forms for each toilet are included in Appendices J to BF of this report. Findings are detailed in section 3 below.

2.2 Report analysis

A matrix of the type of toilets provided, together with facilities available and the BTA/LOY grading allocated is included in Appendix A, and a matrix of a number of key/common features is included in Appendix B.

An Accessible Toilet key features matrix is shown in Appendix C with a Baby Change Features Matrix at Appendix D.

The detailed Toilet Assessment Forms include evidence of the PC facilities provided and also the user toilets in Parks & Leisure Centre Dept. locations (these do not include changing facilities) and three other venues. BTA consider that those graded 3 or above may also be suitable and made available to be used as publicly accessible toilets.

Appendix E provides an analysis of the population in Greater Belfast postcodes and the relationship with the existing public toilets. It also includes ratios of public toilets and total toilets (including parks and leisure centre toilets) to population for each post code and in total.

Appendix F provides benchmarking comparisons with other major UK cities and Appendix G tracks the Belfast City Council APC toilet usage for the period from April 2009 to December 2010 and also includes weekly usage figures for all toilets.

Appendix H provides comparisons of public toilet opening times with other major cities.

The BTA have produced a Summary of Best Practice in ‘Away from Home’ toilet provision (section 6 below), upon which the assessment criteria used in this report was based. This is also the basis for the Loo of the Year Awards grading standards (1* to 5* awards).

2.3 The current toilet estate

The Council has a portfolio of mature traditional public toilets, automatic public conveniences (APCs) and a retractable urinal (Urilift).

The toilets are located across the City: central, north, south, east and west catering for the needs of the busy city centre and suburban areas, and some parks. Belfast City Council's Parks & Leisure Departments also provide toilets for park and leisure centre users. Three other locations were identified as potential publicly accessible toilets – refer Appendices BD to BF for details.

Of the fifteen Belfast City Council toilets assessed (including Belfast City Hall toilets) there were fourteen accessible facilities assessed and thirteen baby change facilities. Only the retractable urinal (Urilift) situated in Shaftesbury Square did not provide these facilities as it only provides three urinals during the night time.

6 2.4 Location of public toilets

The location of the current PCs is no doubt based on historical requirements and we are not aware of any study undertaken to assess the relevance of the existing provision in relation to current requirements of users. A comparison has been made between populations in post coded areas within Belfast and the PC toilet and Parks & Leisure Dept. facilities available – refer Appendix E.

The highest density, as expected, is in the Belfast City Centre where there are eight public toilets for less than a thousand of population. This compares with the West of Belfast where there is only one toilet for 102,672.

2.5 Levels of provision

For the Greater Belfast Postcode area the ratio of public toilets to population is 1:25,198. For the population used for the Levels of Provision (276,439) the ratio of public toilets to population is 1:18,429. This compares with the March 2005 ratio of 1:21,338.

The ideal level of provision of public toilets is recommended by BTA and BSI as 1 cubicle per 550 females and 1 cubicle or urinal per 1100 males. One accessible toilet should also be provided for every 10,000 population and one baby change facility for every 10,000 population. For Belfast, based on an estimated population 276,439, and a spilt of 50% males and 50% females, and PC data only, the calculations of current levels are as follows (refer 3.1 below for full details and Appendix F for calculations):

Numbers of Belfast City Council public toilets as a ratio of population January 2011

Toilet Type BTA Standard Belfast Provision Female cubicle 1 cubicle per 550 1 per 2940 Male 1 cubicle/urinal per 1100 1 per 1750 cubicle/urinal Accessible 1 per 10,000 1 per 19746 Baby changing 1 per 10,000 1 per 13164 facilities

Belfast City Councils public toilet provision can be compared with some other LAs in Appendix F. Belfast’s level of provision is superior to Cardiff (the capital of Wales) and Reading, both BTA members.

2.6 Accessible toilets and DDA compliance

DDA applies to all new buildings and renovations. Toilets built or renovated before DDA became law therefore may be non-compliant but remain usable.

None of the forty five toilets which include accessible facilities were fully DDA compliant (Refer 3.5 below and Appendix C for details). Full compliance can be achieved at most locations by the installation of the correct grab rails and replacing emergency alarm cords that are too short. Management vigilance is then required to ensure that the cords remain at the correct length.

7 2.7 Changing Places Toilet provision

Although adequate space is not apparent in any of the existing facilities (except perhaps Belfast City Hall), the provision of ‘Changing Places’ toilets should be considered when planning future new toilets. Standard disabled toilets do not meet the needs of all people with a disability – or their carers.

People with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well as other serious impairments such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis or an acquired brain injury, often need extra facilities to allow them to use the toilets comfortably. Changing Places toilets are different to standard disabled toilets with extra features and more space to meet these needs. There are now two hundred and fifty Changing Places in the UK including five in Northern Ireland (refer 4.4 below for full details).

2.8 Signage

Only five (33%) of the PCs assessed achieved the basic directional signage standard. Only five of the Parks and Leisure toilets had external directional signage. Visitors to the area and new residents will need directions to enable them to find the available publicly accessible toilet facilities. There is a lack of effective and adequate directional signage. Directional signs need to be to a standard design and provide uniform information.

2.9 Toilet Provision Strategy

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Communities and Local Government has recommended that Local Authorities develop a strategy for the provision of public conveniences in consultation with their local communities. This should contribute toward achieving the need of people to have accessible and clean public toilets wherever they live, work or visit.

It is important that a Provision Strategy is produced and that it recognises that local councils are no longer the only providers of toilet facilities and that other providers and options must be brought forward to achieve the strategies aim and objectives.

It will need to establish a framework for future provision in a range of ways and by a range of providers. Changes may be achieved broadly in the following ways, sometimes in combination:

 developer funding towards new sets of toilets in or near appropriate housing or commercial developments,

 local partnership working with retail and entertainment businesses (Partnership Toilet Schemes)

 innovative solutions in joint arrangements with toilet industry providers

 capital investment by the local council

 extended use of planning and licensing policies

Suggestions for components for the strategy can be found in the Recommendations for improvements (Section 4) and Opportunities (Section 5) sections below. 8 3. Findings

3.1 Assessment of current provision

The results of the assessments completed by the BTA (Appendices J to BC attached) indicate that there are generally high standards of toilet provision throughout the estate. Location overviews for those Parks and cemeteries visited where no user toilets are provided are also provided at the end of the appendices.

BTA comments are as follows:

Ten of the public toilets (PCs) achieved a BTA 5 Star grading, three a 4 Star grading and one (Hope Street) achieved a 2 Star grading. The Urilift in Shaftsbury Square was not graded. The Grading scale is from 1 Star (very poor) to 5 Star (Excellent standard).

Only four of the Parks and Leisure Dept. operated toilets that could be inspected and graded achieved a 5 Star grading, fourteen 4 Star, nine 3 Star and the remaining four a 2 Star grading.

None of the toilets assessed achieve the ratio of female to male facilities of 2:1 in favour of females. Females are the dominant sex in the UK, and for medical (e.g. pregnancy and menopause), physiological and sartorial reasons females may need to use the toilet more often and take longer when they do – hence the queues often occurring outside ladies toilets.

None of the toilets are full time attended. The BTA believes that there are significant benefits to the provider and user when attendants are provided (refer Recommendation 4.6 below).

The ideal level of provision of public toilets is recommended as 1 cubicle per 550 females and 1 cubicle or urinal per 1100 males. One accessible toilet should also be provided for every 10,000 population and one baby change facility for every 10,000 population. For Belfast, based on an estimated population 276,439, and a spilt of 50% males and 50% females, and PC data only, the calculations of ideal levels are as follows (refer Appendix F for calculations):

Belfast City Council Public Toilet Provision: BTA/BSI Standards

Toilet Type Toilets Actual Belfast PC Provision Belfast total provision inc. Required provision as % of BTA Parks & Leisure Dept Standard toilets and three other venues Female cubicle 251 47 19% 189 (75%) Male cubicle/urinal 126 79 63% 279 (221%) Accessible 28 14 50% 45 (161%) Baby changing 28 21 75% 37 (132%) facilities

Numbers of Belfast City Council public toilets as a ratio of population January 2011

Toilet Type BTA Standard Belfast Provision Female cubicle 1 cubicle per 550 1 per 2940 Male 1 cubicle/urinal per 1100 1 per 1750

9 cubicle/urinal Accessible 1 per 10,000 1 per 19746 Baby changing 1 per 10,000 1 per 13164 facilities

Based on current public toilet provision levels and estimated population, the level of provision of male and female toilets has declined, as a ratio to population, since a report produced in March 2005. The provision of accessible and baby change facilities has improved.

Numbers Belfast City Council public toilets: population March 2005

Toilet Type BTA Standard Belfast Provision Female cubicle 1 cubicle per 550 1 per 2838 Male 1 cubicle/urinal per 1100 1 per 1458 cubicle/urinal Accessible 1 per 10,000 1 per 23116 Baby changing 1 per 10,000 1 per 30821 facilities

The provision figures shown are for those toilets included in the assessment provided by Belfast City Waste Management Dept. and do not include any other publicly accessible toilets, e.g. those operated by the Belfast City Council's Parks & Leisure Depts., train and bus operators and any other publicly accessible toilets. These calculations indicate that greater provision is required for all types of users. The significant number of tourists visiting Belfast throughout the year (estimated to be in excess of 7 million per annum) will also place additional demands on PC provision.

By including the Parks and Leisure department and the three other venues toilets assessed the provision of publicly accessible toilets increases dramatically and the result is shown below.

Toilet Type Toilets Actual Belfast total Provision Required provision as % of BTA Standard Female cubicle 251 189 75%` Male 279 221% cubicle/urinal 126 Accessible 28 45 161% Baby changing 28 37 132% facilities

Comparisons of Belfast City Council’s Public Toilet Provision are compared with other local authorities in Appendix F attached.

3.2 Signage

Only five (33%) of the PCs assessed achieved the basic directional signage standard. Only five of the Parks and Leisure toilets had external directional signage. The Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall both had excellent signage. Visitors to the area and new residents will need directions to enable them to find the available publicly accessible toilet facilities. There is a lack of effective and adequate directional signage. Directional signs need to be to a standard design and provide uniform information.

All of the PCs assessed (excluding the retractable urinal where the facility is obvious, and the Belfast City Hall internal toilet) had signage that adequately displayed the 10 facilities available at a location. Only twelve of the Parks and Leisure toilets (45%) met BTA standard for facility signage. All public toilets display opening times (the APCs are 24 hours).

All of PCs except the APCs and retractable urinal display Customer Help Desk/Action Line contact information.

BTA are aware that Belfast City Council trialled pavement stencil signs in the City Centre in 2008. Two periods merged, May and October of that year, however a combination of lack of adhesion of paint applied, massive footfall and service contractors working in the city centre at these times meant that the trial was limited in success and perhaps further trials could be considered.

BTA have sought information from other members and supporters and cannot find any evidence of any other council using pavement stencils.

3.3 Cleaning & maintenance

Cleaning standards are considered to be above average at all PC locations except the retractable urinal and Hope Street (J C Decaux APC). The Parks & Leisure Dept. toilets cleaning standards ranged from very poor to very good. The cleaning standards at the three other venues were good to very good. (refer Appendix B for details).

Maintenance standards were very good throughout the PC estate. The maintenance standards for the Parks & Leisure Dept. toilets were variable. The toilets at Mallusk Playing Fields were in an appalling state with mould, flaking paint, dirt and cobwebs etc. and the toilets at the Botanic Gardens appeared tired and dirty with little or no evidence of high level cleaning. The maintenance standards at the three other venues were good or very good.

3.4 Basic facilities

All PCs except the retractable urinal and all Parks and Leisure toilets have both hot and cold water supplied to wash basins.

All toilets except the retractable urinal had the facility to dispense soap. There was no soap available at the Botanic Gardens Toilet Block, Mallusk Playing Fields toilets and Waterworks Multi Sports Pavilion.

All toilets except the retractable urinal had adequate toilet tissue dispensing.

All toilets except the toilets in Botanic Gardens Bowling Pavilion, Mallusk Playing Fields, Victoria Park Toilet Block, Waterworks Multi Sports Pavilion, the Grove Wellbeing Centre and the retractable urinal have mirrors installed in all Male and Female toilets. Mirrors were not installed in the accessible or baby change toilets in the Belfast Castle Cellar toilets or the baby change toilets at Grove Wellbeing Centre. Mirrors are considered to be a standard facility available in PCs particularly in female toilets.

All PCs except the retractable urinal and the accessible toilet in the Arthur Lane toilet have hooks for users to hang their outer garments, or bags. Only seven (23%) of the Parks and Leisure toilets had hooks in all toilets. It is unhygienic to place items of clothing or personal items on a toilet floor. None of the other venue toilets had hooks.

Feminine hygiene disposal is provided in both female and accessible toilets in all PCs providing female facilities. Only two of the four cubicles in the female toilets in the Connswater Toilet had a disposal facility. Ten of the Parks and Leisure Dept. toilets did

11 not have feminine hygiene disposal facilities in the ladies toilets or accessible toilets. Seven of the Parks and Leisure Dept did not have a disposal facility in the accessible toilet (refer to Appendix B for details). The three other venues had feminine hygiene disposal facilities in the ladies toilets and accessible toilets.

3.5 Accessible toilets – Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliance

All PC locations assessed except the retractable urinal, the Belfast Castle First Floor and Restaurant Toilets and the Victoria Park toilet block included dedicated Accessible Toilets but none of the forty five toilets were fully DDA compliant. (Appendix C for details)

All PC accessible toilets except Hope Street assessed have DDA compliant doorway access. The Belfast Castle Cellar Toilets, Falls Park and Avoniel Leisure Centre toilets did not.

All PC accessible toilets are DDA overall dimension compliant except Belfast City Hall and Hope Street. Of the Parks and Leisure Dept. toilets only of the Botanic Gardens Bowling Pavilion and Falls Park toilets do not comply.

All of the PC Accessible toilets except Belfast City Hall, Ulster Hall and Hope Street comply with DDA W/C Bowl/Washbasin access requirements. Of the Parks and Leisure Dept. toilets, Belfast Castle Cellar Toilets and Falls Park, and Waterworks Multi Sports Pavilion do not comply.

Only seven of the forty five accessible toilets assessed have grab handles that are 100% compliant. (Refer Appendix C for details).

Only thirteen of the fourteen PC accessible toilets assessed have DDA compliant Emergency Pull Cord/Buttons. The emergency pull cords in the Arthur Lane, Church Lane and Winetavern Street accessible toilets were reported as being tied up following the LOYA inspections in August 2010 and were tied up when assessed in January 2011. The Hope street toilets do not have any emergency alarm. Thirteen of the Parks and Leisure toilets with accessible toilets failed to comply. (Refer Appendix C for details)

For the emergency alarm to be available to users it needs to be accessible at waist level and no more than 10cm above floor level.

3.6 Baby change facilities

Baby change facilities are provided in all of the PC toilets assessed except the retractable urinal and the Hope Street toilet and all of the other venues. Only thirteen (42% of the Parks and Leisure toilets have baby change facilities (Refer Appendix D for details)

Safety straps were not provided in the fixed changing units installed in the APCs and the strap on the changing unit in the Malone House Barnetts Demense toilets is broken. All other baby changing units are satisfactory.

There was access for all sizes of pushchair in ten of the thirteen PC baby change facilities and all of the other venues. The access to the Connswater, Drumglass Park and Ormeau Park baby change facilities was considered to be adequate for single pushchairs only.

Access to all Parks and Leisure toilets baby change access was assessed to be average or above for all toilets with these facilities. 12 Six of the thirteen PC baby change facilities and two of the other venues included toddler seats, a benefit for mothers or carers who have more than one child with them when using the facilities. The toddler seat in the Connswater toilet is situated in a cubicle.

Toddler seats were only provided in six of the 13 Parks and Leisure baby change toilets (Refer appendix D for details)

Nappy disposal facilities were only provided in nine of the thirteen PC baby change facilities but all three of the other venues. No nappy disposal was provided in Agnes Street, Arthur Lane, Drumglass Park and Ormeau Park. This facility was provided in all of the 13 Parks and Leisure Dept. baby change toilets.

No baby change facility had ‘child friendly’ fittings or décor.

All PC baby change facilities except Connswater and Ormeau Park had low level child friendly hand washing and drying facilities but only two of the other venues did. Three of the of the 13 Parks and Leisure baby change toilets did not (Refer Appendix D for details)

3.7 Changing Places Toilets

Although there are no existing Changing Places (Adult/child changing facilities) toilets provided in Belfast BTA have been advised that consideration is being given to providing a Changing Places facility in the Belfast City Hall. There is a changing bed located within the ground floor accessible unit within the Ulster Hall.

3.8 Opening Times

Opening times vary. The City Centre toilets in Arthur Lane, Church Lane and Winetavern Street are open seven days a week – Monday to Saturday 09.00 to 18.00, Thursday 09.00 to 21.00 and Sunday 09.30 – 17.30. The Ormeau and Drumglass Park toilets are also open the same days and at the same times except that they close at 18.00 on Thursday.

All of the APCs are available for use 24 hours every day and the retractable urinal is available from 22.00 to 06.00 overnight every day.

The remaining PC toilets are open at various times. The toilets situated at Connswater and Agnes Street are only available from Monday to Saturday from 09.00 – 18.00 and the Bowling Pavilion toilets are only available Monday to Friday 11.00 to 16.00. The Parks & Leisure Dept. toilet facilities opening times were site specific.

Opening hours for toilets operated across the UK vary dependent on their location, e.g. town centre toilets open before the shops open say 08.00 and close at 19.00 or later to accommodate late night shopping. Toilets situated in gated entrance car parks will be open when the car parks are open and opening times for toilets situated in parks and gardens will vary between summer and winter seasons. In tourist and seaside areas opening times will be adjusted to meets seasonal requirements. (Refer to Appendix H for comparisons between Belfast and other major cities).

3.9 Night time economy provision

The six APCs provide 24 hour toilet facilities in Belfast and the retractable toilet provide a night time street urinal in the Queens University district in South Belfast between 13 21.30 and 06.30 each night. This urinal provides a facility for male users of night clubs, pubs and restaurants in the area. No study was undertaken to assess the needs of the night time economy – transport and delivery drivers, taxi drivers, the police, cleaners etc, inhabitants and visitors, who need ‘somewhere to go when only the APCs and the retractable urinal are available.

Experience in other cities is that lack of provision for the night time economy creates antisocial behaviour by way of street fouling by urination and defecation when particularly those that have been drinking go ‘when they need to’ whether a toilet is available or not.

3.10 Provision of temporary toilets

Belfast City Council currently provides portable toilets to meet the needs of those attending events including parades.

Many councils, including the other UK capital cities councils London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, also provide a range of portable toilet facilities for events including Hogmanay in Edinburgh (and Glasgow), winter ice rinks, runs and marathons, elections, sporting events (e.g. rugby internationals), park & ride sites etc. National portable toilet providers supply portable plastic single use toilets, trailer units and jack leg units of various sizes and qualities to meet the various needs.

LAs budget process for events that require temporary toilets may vary. One of the BTA member companies, that are a major supplier of a range of portable toilets for temporary use, consider that most of their LA customers have budgets for major events that require the provision of temporary toilets. They provide temporary toilets for marathons, street parties, political rallies, sporting events, Papal visits, local shows, etc.

Examples of other LAs temporary toilet provision are:

Westminster City Council (WCC) have a separate budget for the Notting Hill Carnival (approx £35k) but have no budget for the other major events that their Special Events team handle. Companies organising these events provide the temporary toilet funding. Other major events that require temporary toilets include the London Marathon (paid for by the event organisers), the London New Years Eve celebrations for which temporary toilets are provided by GLA, and the forthcoming Royal Wedding where WCC will be supplying temporary toilets but which will be paid for by the government/the royal purse.

Sheffield City Council have a separate budget for provision of temporary toilets for special occasions and events. This will be part of the overall events budget.

The Oxford City Councils Events Team have a small budget for the three events that the Council deliver each year; the May Morning, Lord Mayor’s Parade and the Christmas Light Night. Each event is located within the City centre and does not have a significant requirement for additional toilets as they have public toilets located throughout the City Centre and also operate a Community Toilet Scheme. Although the Council manage all events on their parks and open spaces (90 plus) and throughout the City Centre, external event organisers must budget themselves for provision of temporary toilets.

City of London has an annual budget for temporary toilet provided at many events including The Lord Mayors Show. The budget covers a complete year. They have best practice protocols e.g. around location, staffing and cleaning regimes.

14 In assessing budgets the LAs use the HSE ‘Purple Guide’ – The event safety guide – Sanitary Facilities section (refer appendix I) to assess requirements and fine tune as required. This will include an estimation of the likely number of participants/spectators involved in each event. In allocating budgets preference will be given to the most significant or major event.

The Purple Guide is also used to ensure that all relevant requirements involved in the supply of temporary toilets are covered, e.g. location of toilets, type of toilets, numbers of toilets, provision for those with special needs, disposal of waste etc. The Event Manager/Event Management Team will be responsible for liaison and enforcement activities with internal and external agencies.

BTA are not aware of any statutory requirement for LAs to provide temporary toilets to cover the additional demand from tourists visiting the area. As stated above, PC provision has always been and currently is, a discretionary public service, provided by Local Authorities to satisfy community needs. Meeting the needs of all residents and visitors publicly accessible toilet needs should be part of the overall Toilet Provision Strategy (refer 4.14 below).

3.11 Partnership provision of publicly accessible toilet facilities

BTA are not aware of any partnership schemes between the Council and commercial companies that may have toilets that are suitable for use by users who are not their customers.

The basis of a Partnership or Community Toilet Scheme (PTS), between Local Authorities and local businesses, that are prepared to provide access to the public to their toilets, is that members of the public can use the ‘partners’ toilets throughout their opening hours and the public users do not need to make a purchase.

The BTA believe that provided the Schemes are planned, implemented and monitored in a professional way, this additional provision of accessible toilets will extend the level of facilities to all of a town or cities users. We cannot however accept that the implementation of a PTS can replace the existing LA provided public toilets, which should remain as the main public toilet provision, purpose built to meet the needs of all types of users, providing access to all without any real or imaginary barriers.

Some other LAs have failed when attempting to implement a PTS with limited resources or experience.

Before a PTS is implemented the following need to be considered:

 Not the only solution  Should be Part of a Local Authority Toilet Provision Strategy  Limitations of a PTS - Licensed Premises? – family/religious/ethical objections - Availability? - Location? - DDA compliance? - Family Friendly/Aged friendly?

Stages & Resources required

 Research  Marketing  Printing  Creating the Agreement 15  Permission to erect signage  Production of Street and Window Signs  Pre Inspection/Agreement  Promoting the Scheme  Ongoing Management  Regular Monitoring.

The Costs of a PTS

 The ‘Annual Payment’  Setting Up  Ongoing Management  Service Monitoring  Mitigating some of the cost

3.12 Charging for use

The only charges made for use of the PCs provided by Belfast City Council is twenty pence per use for the APCs. Twenty pence is the most popular charge used by local authorities outside London where in Westminster fifty pence is charged. The main London railway stations charge thirty pence.

4 Recommendations for Improvement

The BTA recommends the following aspects are considered as part of the ‘Report Recommendation’ implementation.

4.1 Equality

The mix of toilet provision between male and female users is adjusted as far as possible in favour of female users. It is suggested that an ideal ratio is Female/Male 2:1 (female cubicles/male cubicles + urinals). We appreciate this may be difficult in existing confined buildings but should be considered when refurbishing or extending toilets or providing new toilets.

4.2 Accessible toilets

The overall needs of accessible toilet users are already provided for in the majority of the existing toilets except the retractable urinal. Consideration should be given to completing the repairs and improvements as much as possible within building and financial constraints to achieve DDA compliance.

4.3 Babies & young children

The needs of mothers and babies have been considered in all PC toilet locations except the retractable urinal. Fathers and carers of both sexes have also been provided with baby change facilities in all PCs except the Hope Street toilets. Consideration should be given to providing nappy disposal, toddler seats and tops/shelves for bags at all baby change locations. (Refer Appendix D for details)

4.4 Changing Places Toilets

Although adequate space is not apparent in any of the existing facilities, the provision of ‘Changing Places’ toilets should be considered when planning future new toilets.

16 Standard disabled toilets do not meet the needs of all people with a disability – or their carers.

People with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well as other serious impairments such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis or an acquired brain injury, often need extra facilities to allow them to use the toilets comfortably. Changing Places toilets are different to standard disabled toilets with extra features and more space to meet these needs.

Each Changing Places toilet provides:

The right equipment a height adjustable adult-sized changing bench

a tracking hoist system, or mobile hoist if this is not possible.

Enough space adequate space in the changing area for the disabled person and up to two carers

a centrally placed toilet with room either side for the carers

a screen or curtain to allow the disabled person and carer some privacy.

A safe and clean environment wide tear off paper roll to cover the bench

a large waste bin for disposable pads

a non-slip floor. Thousands of people need ‘Changing Places’ toilets. Without these facilities carers are often forced to change family members on a cold or dirty toilet floor with little or no privacy. The alternative is to limit outings to a couple of hours or to not go out at all. Changing Places toilets allow people to use the toilet with assistance or have their continence pads changed. As part of the recent refurbishment, George Best Belfast City Airport has introduced a Changing Places toilet, making them the first airport in the UK to publicly support the Changing Places campaign. In total there are currently five Changing Places toilets in Northern Ireland. In addition to the Belfast City Airport CP toilet others are located at Divis and the Black Mountain, Lisburn Civic Centre, Orchard Leisure Centre Armagh and Southern Regional College Banbridge.

17 4.5 Security The installation of further CCTV cameras should be considered in locations where appropriate and may help users feel secure when approaching the toilet building and also reduce the incidence of anti-social behaviour. Evidence obtained through their use can form part of activities in identifying and apprehending offenders. 4.6 Cleaning Regimes Belfast City Council does not employ full time attendants but use mobile cleaning teams and a contractor to provide cleaning. Maintenance is provided separately. There is a trend for local authorities to reduce or remove full time attendants from public toilets and rely on mobile cleaning teams to complete cleaning and monitoring of maintenance requirements, e.g. North Lanarkshire, Plymouth, Reading, Shrewsbury and Scarborough. Blackpool and Sefton are currently considering releasing all attendants and Bristol currently has thirteen attendants but these are likely to be reduced or go all together as part of economies. Westminster who have attendants in all of their toilets (except the APCs) are also considering their options. Despite the trend consideration must be given to ‘whole life costs’’ of public toilet provision including the benefits associated with attendants. The benefits should include a greater commitment and accountability to their allocated toilet- which should mean higher standards of cleaning and user service, full time attention to failures and other maintenance issues as they arise (which should minimise maintenance and refurbishment costs and user complaints), security - prevention of graffiti and vandalism etc. reducing the need for repairs. LAs planning to dispense with full time attendants need to consider any cost saving made by replacing attendants with mobile cleaners set against these benefits. The presence of an attendant helps substantially reduce vandalism and other anti-social activities. Defects in equipment are detected, reported, and hopefully repaired quickly. A good attendant is an ambassador for her/his council and area. There is a toilet in Ballymena operated by Ballymena Borough Council which has been full time attended for over ten years, has not required any refurbishment during that period, does not get vandalised of spoilt by graffiti, and routinely achieves a five star award in the LOYA each year. Brighton & Hove City Council currently has no plans to remove attendants where they have them employed, or use mobiles in their place. They understand that local authorities may consider removing attendants in the current financial climate, however the sites where they have them in place are very high usage and it’s not something they would recommend doing. They have in recent years changed the times toilets are attended to allow flexibility and use part time attendance at some sites. Mobile cleaners capacity to clean a number of toilets will be determined by several factors including the size, design and finishes of the toilet, the distance and travelling conditions between the toilets to be cleaned, the equipment available and the efficiency of the cleaner. One of our public toilet providers considers that one cleaner should be able to clean four to five toilets per day on two visits a day. Refer 5.1 below for opportunities.

18 4.7 Management monitoring standards Unscheduled inspections by senior Council management should take place once per week in high usage toilets (the city centre toilets) and once a month in low usage locations, to ensure that proper standards of hygiene and maintenance are adhered to. 4.8 Loo of the Year Awards By entering the Belfast PCs in the Loo of the Year Awards annually the Council benefits from a cost effective way of receiving an independent assessment of the standards of their loos and as award winners they also benefit from national media coverage and the prestige of providing the very best facilities. A Loo of the Year Awards (LOYA) Loo Monitor Service (LMS) is also available which provides additional unannounced inspections of toilets at an agreed frequency (e.g. quarterly) and against agreed criteria that checks cleanliness, maintenance and management issues more than once per year (e.g. 60 criteria compared with LOYA’s 100 criteria). Combined with entry to the annual Loo of the year Awards the LMS provides an independent ‘mystery shopper’ type service and trend reports to enable monitoring of performance improvement. This is particularly beneficial when external contractors are employed. 4.9 Partnership (Community) Toilet Schemes The introduction of a Partnership (Community) Toilet Scheme may provide additional facilities in places and at times when PC provision is not available. BTA can assist in all aspects of Community Toilet Schemes from research to establish whether potential ‘partners’ have adequate facilities and are willing to participate in a scheme to full implementation and monitoring of established schemes. 4.10 Charging for use Local Authorities now have the ability to charge for the use of PCs. Although in the ideal world PC provision should not attract a charge, BTA believe that if charging is the only way that Belfast City Council can afford to provide clean, safe and hygienic facilities for all types of users then a small charge is preferable to poor facilities or closures. Some councils use charging as away to finance the provision of attendants in high throughput PCs. See 5.2 below for opportunities. 4.11 Opening Hours

Opening hours of all ‘traditional’ toilet facilities should be reviewed to meet current requirements. The current opening times are the same as for those toilets available in 2004.

4.12 Signage

Directional signage should be improved so that tourists, visitors and those others not familiar with the City can locate toilets when needed.

As a minimum, directional signs should be of a uniform design, provide information of facilities available (symbols), and be positioned at eye level.

The 2004 report made similar recommendations.

19 Belfast City Council may consider implementing a system using texts and satellite navigation that would allow the public to seek information about available toilets using a mobile phone application. A system of this type called Satlav is in operation in the City of Westminster.

(refer www.westminster.gov.uk/services/environment/streetcareandcleaning/satlav )

4.13 Parking spaces adjacent accessible toilets

Consideration should be given to providing dedicated parking spaces for disabled blue badge holders as near as possible to toilets that contain accessible facilities.

4.14 Toilet Provision Strategy Belfast City Council should have a Public Toilet Strategy. BTA can assist with the production of this document.

5. Opportunities

5.1 Mobile cleaning teams v full time attendants

As explained in 4.6 above there are advantages and disadvantages of both the employment of full time attendants and the exclusive use of both types of resource. The benefits of introducing some full time attendants in selected high usage toilets should be considered with the introduction of charging for use.

5.2 Charge for use implications

Belfast City Council currently only charges for the use of the APCs. Charging could be extended to other facilities. Consideration would be needed to the charging system to be used, e.g. automatic barriers with coin collectors or card readers, collection by attendants etc. Procedures and risk assessments would be needed to cover cash collection operations. Contractors supplying toilet facilities could include these as part of their contract with the Council.

The introduction of charging could fund the introduction of attendants.

5.3 Contracting out all cleaning and maintenance

All of the cleaning and maintenance of the entire public toilet estate could be contracted to a specialist public toilet provider who has the expertise, equipment and systems to provide a service in accordance with an agreed service level agreement. This could include the TUPE transfer of existing staff. Many local authorities have contracted out these aspects of public toilet provision.

5.4 The Council using Section 106 as part of planning consent

Provision of public toilets as part of an agreement to develop other building, e.g. Brent Council secured £700K for six new toilets from the new Wembley Stadium development and Tesco providing a public toilet as part of a new store development.

20 5.5 Contactors and other local businesses providing funding to improve or add facilities

For example, Brighton & Hove City Council’s public toilet cleaning contractor funded the creation of a Changing Places toilet on the Brighton seafront at a cost of £23k.

Consideration could also be given to advertising local or national companies products or services within toilets as a source of income that could subsidise public toilet provision, e.g. in lockable frames above urinals or hand washing areas in all toilets.

5.6 Realising the value of existing assets to fund new toilets or improvements to existing toilets

Using the proceeds of the sale of public toilets that are no longer located where needed, and in need of considerable renovation to fund improvements to other existing public toilets or create new ones. Bournemouth Council proposes to do this.

5.7 Commercial public toilet providers taking over the public toilet provision

Some councils (e.g. Blackpool) have entered into term agreements with companies that specialise in the provision of public toilets, including traditional single entry male and female toilet blocks, direct access toilets, APCs and retractable of fold out urinals, whereby the company will take over the toilets for an agreed period (e.g. 10 years) and then operate the toilets for a fee. The agreement can include the provision of new toilets and or renovation of existing facilities and normally include charges for use. There are examples where the Council have enjoyed greatly improved facilities, no capital cost, and a reduction in overall costs over the contract period. BTA can assist in this process.

5.8 Use of vacant high street shop frontage to install a public toilets

Modern, attractive and hygienic toilet facilities can be installed in high street locations in places where shops have previously operated. These can be either with a glass ‘shop’ front and pay for use barriers providing entry to a range of facilities or an APC type unit that would be portable and could be moved from one location to another if needed. This high standard toilet provision may be provided at no cost to the Council. Supply would be conditional on high volume usage adequate to fund the provision of the facilities over an agreed period and the toilet provider using the income from charge received to cover the costs of provision and a commercial return.

There are no case studies available for UK. A BTA Corporate Champion member estimates that a unit could be provided or £50k and installed for £10K with a £14k p.a. cleaning and maintenance agreement. The unit could be re-located to another location for £10K. The basic electric, water and drainage connections would normally exist in shop units. Planning consent for change of use will probably be required.

A German BTA member toilet provider has experience of installing modular toilet units in vacant spaces in Europe.

5.9 Opening all available Council operated publicly accessible toilets for public use

The Council could extend its provision of toilets for public use by allowing access to suitable existing toilets currently situated within Council buildings, e.g. Council offices, libraries, museums, art galleries, community centres, sports centres etc, in addition to 21 the Parks & Leisure Dept publicly accessible toilets. This could include St.Georges Market, Belfast Waterfront Hall and the Ulster Hall all of which already have very suitable toilets for this purpose (refer Appendices

Security of the Council premises and staff must be considered and details of these ‘publicly accessible’ or ‘shared public access’ toilets should be included on notices displayed at each location, on town plan maps and advertised as part of the Belfast City Council’s Public Toilet provision website entries.

The assessments included in this report for the Parks and Leisure Dept. toilets demonstrate that predominantly perfectly adequate facilities could be made available to the general public and increase Belfast’s supply of publicly accessible toilets by over 150%. The assessments indicate those areas that will require attention to bring them all up to the 5* standard.

Brighton & Hove City Council provide forty seven public toilets but also provide access to a further twenty Council building’s toilets, and nineteen businesses in Brighton & Hove provide the public access to their customer toilets as part of Brighton & Hove City Council’s ‘You’re Welcome Scheme’. This scheme pre-dates the introduction of the Community Toilet Schemes that were publicised widely in the past five years with the Richmond on Thames Scheme featuring prominently. Unlike the Richmond scheme no payments are made to the ‘partners’ involved. The impact of Brighton and Hove City Council’s toilet provision strategy is that there are a total of eighty six ‘publicly accessible toilets available to the residents and visitors to Brighton and Hove although only forty seven, fifty five percent, are traditional public toilets. Refer www.brighton- hove.gov.uk

5.10 Introducing a Partnership Toilet Scheme

Refer to 3.11 and 4.9 above for full details

Details of Partners toilets should be included on notices displayed at each location advising the public that they can use the partner’s toilets without the need to purchase goods or services and full details should also be advertised as part of the Belfast City Council’s Public Toilet provision website entries. Additional signage, e.g. finger signs may also be needed when the partner is not an obvious supplier of publicly accessible toilets.

6. BTA Summary of Best Practice in ‘Away from Home’ toilet provision

6.1 SIGNAGE AND COMMUNICATION 6.1.1 Directional signage is very important, especially for visitors. Signs should show the direction and distance to the nearest public convenience with symbols for various available facilities.

6.1.2 An external toilet location name will assist both residents and visitors identify where public conveniences are situated. A standard sign should also include symbols indicating the facilities available within the toilets, e.g. male, female, accessible, baby changing, nursing, Changing Places facilities etc.

6.1.3 There are many benefits to be gained by displaying warning signs to deter vandalism, e.g. 'Police Regularly Patrol These Toilets', 'CCTV Working In This Area' 'Any Criminal Action Will Be Dealt With Accordingly'.

22 6.1.4 The Sexual Discrimination Act 1975 allows employment of male or female staff to clean toilets. Courtesy signs stating “male or female cleaners at this site” help the public to feel more secure when confronted by a mobile cleaner of the opposite sex.

6.1.5 All toilets should display a sign giving the address and telephone number of the person(s) responsible for their provision. This generally speeds up the reporting of any problems between mobile cleaner visits and is also an opportunity to respond and monitor customer complaints. It is also good ‘UR’ – user relations. The times when the toilets are open should also be displayed.

6.1.6 Health promotion material aimed at preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases along with telephone numbers for local hospital departments/clinics can be communicated in the relative privacy of toilets used by the general public.

6.2 DÉCOR AND MAINTENANCE 6.2.1 Toilet providers have the opportunity to develop their own colour co-ordinated external and internal décor in their toilets.

6.2.2 Low energy, vandal resistant lighting, fitted flush into ceilings and operated by solar sensors, will ensure the correct level of illumination at all times of day and night. White ceilings and wall tiles are excellent day light reflectors.

6.2.3 Safety floor coverings with continuous sheeting and impervious welded joints are preferred to tiles, which are grouted. Grouting absorbs urine and is more difficult to keep clean and odour free. 6.2.4 Windows that are partially open to assist ventilation during the day can create opportunities for people to peer in, becoming a danger in respect of safety to users of those premises. 6.2.5 Sound maintenance programmes and proper programme performance monitoring will ensure that operational problems are minimised along with reduced closure periods. 6.2.6 The frequency of inspections relates to the speed of defect reporting. Prompt replacement/repair procedures are key to the maintenance of all ‘away from home’ toilets. 6.2.7 Adequate supervision of the day-to-day management of any toilets provided will also avoid inconsistencies in standards of service. 6.3 FIXTURES AND FITTINGS PROVISION 6.3.1 All urinals should be fitted with flush control systems to reduce water consumption. Water reduction devices and systems will also reduce water consumption in cubicles. Waterless urinals may also be considered. 6.3.2 Older style toilets were not designed for family, mother and young children or disabled needs and certainly not for baby changing by males. 6.3.3 Wall mirrors, particularly in ladies washroom make up areas, are an essential need. Additional lighting and worktops on which to place handbags whilst washing hands provide added value. 6.3.4 Modern design automatic combined hand washing and drying units are energy efficient and space saving units. 6.3.5 Cleaning methods for all stainless steel equipment need to be properly enforced. Gents urinals, in particular, require a deep clean periodically in order to remove the accumulated lime scale and urinal salts. 6.3.6 No Smoking signs remind users of the law and help minimise any smoking in toilets. 6.3.7 Wall mounted metal litter bins with light weight bin liners and lids provide suitable receptacles for litter in both ladies and gents toilets, as well as accessible and family/baby change facilities. Litter waste should not be mixed with any sanitary waste material. 6.4 CLEANLINESS STANDARDS

23 6.4.1 The importance of high quality cleaning in ‘away from home’ toilets cannot be overstated. Standards of cleanliness vary enormously throughout the UK and cleaning requirements are usually set out in a cleaning specification - together with cleaning materials to be used and their frequency of use. 6.4.2 In high usage sites, unattended toilets should be cleaned every hour and in low usage sites four times daily, by mobile cleaners. The size and design of the building, the number of people using it and the standard of cleanliness that the provider wants to maintain will determine the frequency of cleaning required.

6.4.3 Monitoring of cleaning activities through daily or weekly inspections is considered good practice to help maintain high standards. 6.4.4 Higher standards of cleaning are achieved by having clear cleaning specifications and properly trained staff. The BTA has developed a training course for operatives and supervisors in toilet washroom cleaning, in conjunction with The British Institute of Cleaning Science. Courses can be provided locally by any recognised BICSc training centre. 6.4.5 The cleaning standards of mobile teams will depend upon the number of times the toilets are scheduled for cleaning per day, and how busy the facilities are. 6.4.6 Corners of cubicles and floor areas generally require special cleaning procedures with a machine cleaning regime. 6.4.7 Graffiti removal from various surfaces can be a tedious and frustrating process. The best solutions lie in effective prevention, together with the use of building materials and finishes which resist the application of graffiti, as well as removal of graffiti at the earliest opportunity.

24 6.5 HYGIENE EQUIPMENT

6.5.1 Soap dispensers (preferably non-touch) are regarded as a more hygienic and cost effective solution to soap tablets, which can be wasteful and unhygienic. Every time soap tablets are used they leave the residue of the previous user on the tablet. Soap trays tend to be a holding surface for water causing the soap to dissolve into a soggy mess. 6.5.2 Labour costs are usually the most expensive item in the provision of toilet tissue. The most economical and hygienic systems are those with built-in back up supply, particularly when full time attendants are not on site. 6.5.3 Larger twin tissue 900 sheet rolls in 2 ply tissue, with no cardboard core, require less labour to replace, and result in less floor litter. 6.5.4 Toilet tissue dispensers can be provided free on loan, subject to using suppliers’ consumables. 6.5.5 'Jumbo Toilet Rolls' and holders can impinge upon cubicle space, and have no back up supply. They either get replaced before running out - leading to costly waste or they are left to run out - leading to user frustration. 6.5.6 Single domestic size toilet rolls do not provide an automatic back up and cannot be topped up when partially used, similar to the 'jumbo system' above. They are also unhygienic as the unused portion of the toilet roll is exposed. 6.5.7 Feminine hygiene disposal units should be provided in all ladies cubicles. 6.5.8 Electrical air ventilation should be activated by P.I.R sensor to ensure the system is not running continuously. Refer to building regulations for minimum air changes. 6.5.9 Air freshening units, in support of ventilation systems, particularly baby change facilities and busy toilets, again add value to the washroom ambience. They are not designed to remove malodours but to help mask them. 6.5.10 Air freshening units need to be fitted at a minimum height of three metres to avoid vandalism. At this height, steps are required for regular service of battery and gels. 6.5.11 Mains electrical air freshening units are more effective and usually only require quarterly fragrance top ups. 6.6 GENERAL COMFORT AND CUSTOMER CARE 6.6.1 Inspections by senior provider management should take place once a week in high usage sites and once a month in low usage sites, to ensure proper standards of hygiene are being adhered to. 6.6.2 All toilets should provide hot water for hand washing at an appropriate temperature of 45ºc. 6.6.3 All cubicles for women should contain bags for soiled sanitary towels as well as feminine hygiene disposal units. A communication message of “Bag it and Bin it” is also recommended to avoid costly and unnecessary toilet blockages. 6.6.4 Alternative methods of hand drying are desirable to ensure continuity of supply and provide for customer choice. Automatic dryers and dispensers that are non-touch are more hygienic. 6.6.5 Soap dispensers should be provided at a 1 dispenser to 2 wash-basin ratio. 6.6.6 It is recommended that all ‘secure’ or attended public toilets are equipped with dispensing or vending machines for sanitary towels, disposable nappies and condoms. Vending machines for other products in high usage sites could be provided for added value for users and a revenue earner for the provider e.g. travel wash packs, headache and indigestion tablets, tights, town centre maps etc. 6.6.7 It is recommended that all cubicles contain some form of bactericidal seat wipe, as toilet paper often used to cover seats can lead to blockages. 6.7 ACCESSIBLE TOILETS 6.7.1 Toilet providers have a responsibility to ensure that all toilets comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. Refer Doc M of the 2004 Building Regulations and British Standard 8300. 6.7.2 Entrance doors should open outwards and white grab rails on white backgrounds cannot be seen by the partially sighted. (DDA)

25 6.7.3 An extractor fan or air freshening unit should be installed to improve ventilation and air quality, since these toilets are used less frequently and are normally fully enclosed. 6.7.4 Grab rails adjacent to the toilet bowls should be designed / fitted correctly and hand wash basins should be accessible from the WC bowl. (DDA) 6.7.5 Coat hooks and wall mirrors should be fitted at the appropriate height and toilet flush handles should be in reach of a disabled person in a wheelchair – i.e. furthest from the wall. (DDA) 6.7.6 Where RADAR keys are in use, details of where the nearest key is located are necessary, including the address and telephone number of where keys can be purchased. 6.7.7 Where space is sufficient in accessible toilets, adult changing (Changing Places) facilities should be provided. 6.7.8 Emergency alarm cords or buttons should be within reach at floor level, in case an accessible toilet user requires assistance whilst in the toilet. (DDA) 6.8 BABYCHANGE FACILITIES 6.8.1 All toilets in public places should cater for the needs of parents of either sex with babies and young children. 6.8.2 The best-designed baby change units are separate cubicles/rooms catering for both sexes. They should include an extra width entrance door for pushchairs or double buggies, large easy sliding door locks, bright lighting and wall murals, a permanently fixed changing table with security rail and a wall mounted toddler seat, with safety straps. 6.8.3 There should be a washbasin, a supply of warm water with a soap cream dispenser, paper wipes, a large nappy disposal unit and air freshening. Additional coat hooks, shelves, wall mirrors, waste bins and a nappy dispensing unit should also be included. 6.8.4 A child and/or adult WC are also required to cater for the toileting needs of those accompanying babies. 6.9 PUBLIC TOILET OPENING HOURS 6.9.1 Public toilets should be open at least 12 hours a day. Where they are located in a shopping area they should open one hour before shops open and close one hour after shops close. 6.9.2 It is essential that 24-hour toilets are provided, particularly in busy areas, adjacent to transport, leisure and entertainment hubs. Numbers provided will depend on the numbers of potential users. These can be accessed by coin or RADAR key to prevent abuse or anti-social behaviour. 6.9.3 The growing night time economy has brought with it the growing problem of street urination, which has led to the development of new, innovative street urinal solutions. 6.10 SECURITY ISSUES 6.10.1 All ‘away from home’ toilets should be well illuminated, both internally and externally. 6.10.2 Full time supervision/attendants have proven to be the best security for busy toilets. 6.10.3 A single user entrance, adjacent to an attendant’s office or direct access toilets will help minimise anti-social behaviour. Full time attended toilets also provide a consistently high standard of cleanliness and hygiene. 6.10.4 Where attendants are not possible, providers should liaise with local police and other relevant organisations, in order to combat the problems caused by cottaging, drug abuse, vandalism and other anti-social activities. Regular security visits are recommended. 6.10.5 Use of CCTV cameras adjacent to toilets, helps members of the public feel more secure when approaching and entering the building and has also reduced the incidence of anti-social behaviour, particularly when clear communication signage has warned of legal action against identifiable offenders. CCTV cameras can also be positioned to cover common areas inside toilets.

26 6.11 AUTOMATIC PUBLIC CONVENIENCES 6.11.1 APCs or "superloos" have been in use in the UK for more than twenty years. Their main advantage is that they are available 24 hours a day. They are normally self- cleaning and vandals do not like spending 20 pence (normal entrance fee) to gain access simply for misuse or abuse. 6.11.2 APCs are equipped with an automatic timed control cleansing cycle, which is activated after each user has vacated the toilet. 6.11.3 Fully inclusive service provision and maintenance charges are included in lease agreements which some authorities have found very expensive to operate, certainly those which have been provided in rural locations with low usage figures. All APCs have automatic user counters, which enable management to measure costs per user. 6.11.4 Many design features based upon the individual toilet cubicles of the "superloos" have been incorporated into factory built ‘semi-automatic’ cubicles with en-suite hand wash units. These units can be incorporated into a new building, to suit differing locations or 'inbuilt' into existing buildings, as part of a refurbishment project. 6.11.5 The internal features of APCs and semi-automatic cubicles are durable, due to careful use of appropriate materials and provide good fire resistance. Hot water supply, soap and tissue dispensing systems are built into the cubicle walls. Feminine hygiene and litter disposal units are also built into the walls with sealed, fire resistant collection containers located at the rear of each cubicle, in the service area. 6.11.6 Automatic flushing of both W.C bowls and urinal floor washing enhance cleanliness and hygiene levels. 6.12 CUBICLES 6.12.1 Most cubicles in ‘away from home’ toilets are too narrow and, when combined with an inward opening door, cause problems for people entering – particularly those with shopping bags and small children. 6.12.2 Outward opening doors raise health and safety issues and are not appropriate in most toilets. 6.12.3 The best solution is to provide larger cubicles for all users – or at least one or more larger cubicles for those with particular needs as mentioned above. 6.12.4 All cubicles should contain a hook for jackets, coats and bags and ideally some shelving to prevent bags being placed on wet floors. 6.12.5 All ladies cubicles should contain a suitable container for the disposal of sanitary waste. 6.12.6 Cubicle sizes are referred to in British Standard 6465 Part 4 (2010). 6.13 ENERGY AND WATER CONSERVATION 6.13.1 An increasing number of toilet providers now install a range of energy saving fixtures and fittings. 6.13.2 These include: - automatic non-touch lighting controls through the use of PIR sensors - automatic non – touch tap water systems with measured water portion delivery and timed cut-off - automatic urinal flushing through infra red sensors - non-touch toilet cistern water reduction systems through timed control valves solar powered lighting and water heating systems 6.13.3 Maximum use of natural lighting reduces the need for electric lighting. 6.13.4 Maximum use of natural ventilation reduces the need for electric air extraction or de- odorising systems. 6.13.5 Where use of water for flushing is minimised, it is essential that an adequate cleaning regime be implemented to ensure maintenance of hygiene standards. This is imperative when waterless urinals are installed – see below. 6.13.6 An increasing number of toilet providers now use waterless urinals – which again require an effective cleaning regime to minimise bacteria and consequential odour build-up in the urinal.

27 6.14 PARTNERSHIPS

6.14.1 A number of major toilet providers now contract out their toilet cleaning and maintenance activities to specialist companies. 6.14.2 This removes the day-to-day responsibilities of maintaining standards and allows the provider to concentrate on core activities. 6.14.3 Contract monitoring then becomes the key task for the department responsible and, away from the day to day service ‘fire fighting’ activities, allows some proper management time to plan improvements and extensions to the toilet service. 6.14.4 It is essential for any outside contractor to work to an agreed and detailed contract specification with adequate monitoring and reporting procedures. 6.14.5 The production and circulation of weekly/monthly contract reports and key data to the widest relevant audience – including operatives – ensures that all those involved in providing the service are kept informed about current and future levels of performance. 6.14.6 A regular site inspection by client management also contributes to both client perception of the service being provided and contractor awareness of client involvement. 6.14.7 In summary, ‘away from home’ toilets require a higher level of quality measurement and overall management than historically provided, due to the low level of priority normally allocated to this basic public service.

28