LAST UPDATE | 10 Jul

A PLANNING ROW has broken out between Dublin Bus and the residents of a south Dublin housing estate over a proposal to install a portable toilet for drivers near the terminus of a bus route.

Kingston Residents’ Association have lodged an appeal with An Coimisiún Pleanála over concerns that the toilet adjacent to a bus stop on Brehon Field Road, Ballinteer, Dublin 16 will become “a magnet for graffiti and anti-social behaviour”.

The’ association, which represents approximately 270 households, claims the proposed self-cleansing unisex toilet must be rejected on aesthetic grounds. 

Chairperson Ian Duckenfield said they understood Dublin Bus was considering new bus routes and timetables, and believed some new arrangement could be found “which does away with the requirement for a WC at the entrance to our estate”.

Kingston Residents’ Association said it fully appreciated that bus drivers must have proper welfare facilities but stressed that it must not be “at the expense of residents”.

It claimed sewage and electricity connections would be easier and cheaper if the toilet was located on the other side of the road as that is where buses stop at the end of a journey and drivers would not have to cross the road to access the facility.

Dublin Bus had originally proposed that the toilet would be located further east on the same side of Brehon Field Road, but planners with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council asked the company to review the location over landscaping concerns.

‘Nimbyism’

Dublin Bus said it had examined four alternative locations on Brehon Field Road to the current proposal, including near a bus stop on the other side of the road which was deemed “unsuitable” due to a lack of space as a result of a cycle path.

The company said a grass area on Kingston Drive was also discounted because of its high visual impact on residents of the estate. Dublin Bus said the proposed site was considered “the best location for the purpose”.

It added: “The closeness to the existing bus shelter contributes to reduce the visual impact notably.”

Speaking to RTÉ Radio One’s Drivetime this evening, General Secretary of public transport drivers’ union NBRU Dermot O’Leary threatened that staff would walk away from new, longer routes should toilets not be provided.

He labelled the residents’ appeal as ‘Nimbyism’, adding: “Public services work better when there’s harmony between public service users and providers.”

Asked whether the location of the toilet would disrupt that harmony, O’Leary said the public should be aware that toilets will only be placed at terminus stops where other facilities are not available.

The National Transport Authority, which is overseeing the BusConnects programme across Dublin, said a key element was a significant expansion of the bus network with new and more frequent services.

Among the expansion plans, it is understood, up to 15 staff toilets will be placed at the last stop for routes in the Limekiln, Swords, Seán Moore Road, Ballycullen, Tallaght and Citywest areas of Dublin.

Dublin Bus said a failure to deliver welfare facilities for drivers would have a negative impact on the drivers, who provide an essential public service. It also said that passengers could experience delays if there were no facilities provided. 

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said a staff toilet may be approved following a green-light from the relevant planning authorities and standards. It stressed that the facility in Ballinteer would not be publicly accessible.

With reporting by Muiris Ó Cearbhaill