AFTER YEARS OF holding it in, Dublin City Council is set to invest nearly €6 million in the installation of four new public toilets in the city centre.

The move follows a U-turn on plans to close the last remaining public facility at St Stephen’s Green, where temporary toilets near the top of Grafton Street had been earmarked for removal due to falling demand.

However, this plan was abandoned following opposition from both Councillors and the public.

Dublin City Council has now revealed plans for four new public toilets in the city.

The five-year investment plan comes amid continued demand for accessible facilities in high-footfall areas across the city.

The new toilets will be somehwat-evenly spread across the city – two will be located on the north side, and two on the south.

One of the north side toilets will be located in the area around O’Connell Street and Prince’s Street North, while the other will be installed in Smithfield Square.

In the south, the new toilets will be installed on South King Street and Barnardo Square.

The locations of the proposed new public toilets. The Journal The Journal

Installation of the new toilets is targeted for mid-2026, subject to planning and procurement processes.

The council estimates it will cost around €200,000 a year to maintain and service each unit, bringing the total servicing bill to €800,000 annually.

Over the course of a five-year contract (factoring in inflation) the full service cost is expected to reach €4.4 million.

Combined with capital and installation costs, the overall price tag for the project is expected to come in at approximately €5.7 million.

Service fee

According to the council report, Dublin once had over 60 public toilets, but by the late 1990s, all on-street facilities had closed due to a combination of vandalism, criminal activity, and hygiene concerns.

Temporary toilets were reintroduced during the Covid-19 pandemic at the facility beside St Stephen’s Green – initially intended as a short-term solution—now the only one still in operation.

Despite usage at the St Stephen’s Green unit dropping from 17,000 visits per week in 2020 to 1,800 in 2022, the Council says there remains a need for safe, secure, and clean public amenities.

However, efforts to partner with private retailers on shared-use toilets have failed, with no interest from the commercial sector.

The new facilities will include attended multi-cubicle units, with a proposed 50 cent usage fee to offset service costs.

Despite this, Council officials acknowledge the project will operate at a loss and require significant public funding.

A kiosk or tourism-related retail element may be included at certain locations.

There are currently 92 public toilets available across Dublin, including those in libraries, parks, museums, and shopping centres – 26 of which are located in the central commercial district. The new units will bring that total to 30.

The Council’s report also emphasised that public toilets often deter users due to safety and hygiene concerns and notes that unless the new facilities provide a secure, family-friendly experience, uptake may remain limited.