Proposed toilets are too big, association says

A PROPOSAL for a long-awaited toilet block in Kennett River might not solve the town’s problem, with the local residents’ association urging that the facility be made smaller than originally designed.

The new public toilet block and wastewater facilities is slated to receive $1.9 million in funding through the Geelong City Deal.

The Kennett River Association (KRA) has been calling for better toilet facilities in the town since least late 2018, when a temporary toilet block was installed to meet the demand caused by the increased number of tourists, but is not happy with the proposed design put forward by the Colac Otway Shire.

KRA president Corrina Dichiera said the community supported the need for new public toilets but the KRA had three requests:

• An Environmental Impact Assessment to be undertaken before any further work is carried out
• A reduction in the size of the block to a more appropriate scale, and
• A reduction in the number of parking bays reserved exclusively for tourist buses.

The KRA believes the shire based the size of the facility on a queuing time formula to cater for busloads of people arriving at one time, but there had been no assessment of the role Kennett River should or would play in tourism along the Great Ocean Road.

Ms Dichiera said it was unlikely Kennett River would be designated to cater for large-volume tourism.

“As such, we feel that the current proposal to prioritise mini-buses over other long vehicles such as caravans and campers, and the proposal for a large toilet block to cater for these buses, is incongruous with the expected future strategy for Kennett River.”

Colac Otway general manager of environment and infrastructure Tony McGann said the toilet block project was subject to several environmental assessments and approvals under legislation including the Planning and Environment Act and Marine and Coastal Act.

“The public amenities, funded through the City Deal, are designed to meet the expectations of the visitors and protect the environment.

“Consultants determined the required number of cubicles based on expected demand from a carpark capacity designed to accommodate the predicted total number of tourists, including the traditional 22-seater bus business.

“The suggested size from the Kennett River Association would result in longer queueing times, which would detract from the visitor experience we all want to offer to tourists.”

Mr McGann said the road and parking design would accommodate small- and medium-sized vehicles but not large coaches.

A spokesperson from DELWP said it was the department’s expectation that any proposal followed the proper approval process, including thorough environmental assessment.