Edinburgh Council are currently consulting on the closure of 10 public toilets, with the conveniences at Joppa at risk. The survey runs until Mon 25 May and can be completed at: consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/public-toilets-survey. The response from Portobello Community Council is included below:
Portobello Community council undertook consultation in December and January into possible toilet closures in the local area. The survey was constructed to get specific views on the individual toilet facilities. We had over 300 responses, with 91% agreeing that the Joppa toilet was important or very important "given the Prom and Beach are visitor destinations". 93% objected, or strongly objected, to the closure of this toilet. A very high number of respondents also left specific comments – 82%.
The survey results were discussed at the 26 Jan meeting of the community council and the following position was agreed: the current toilet provision in Portobello is very important, given the prom and beach are visitor destinations; and to object strongly to any proposal to close public toilets within Portobello.
An anonymised set of results is available at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19MRZdBj_UOBQhAU19RL4GbILd–ybAMD988MKCA5OYs/edit#gid=0
There are clear concerns on equality issues, accessibility, tourism and public health – a range of comments are included below:
I do not think that comparison with East Lothian is unfair. CEC should give provision and maintenance of public toilets the same level of priority as its neighbour. Public health grounds alone demands this. What effect will closure have on visitor numbers and the local economy.?
I don’t think any of these toilet’s should be closed down as they are used all the time esp in the height of the season.
We as a community are trying hard to make the area a welcoming seaside attraction. To remove the only public conveniences with no viable alternatives is a move that will lead to visitors being put off visiting.
I think the proposed closure of these toilets is absolutely ridiculous and I can’t see the council saving any money if people start letting their children pee all along the promenade due to lack of any public facilities. I also know that bus drivers use the joppa toilet facility when needed and it would be ridiculous if they had nowhere to go.I strongly object to this and when it is made public I hope everybody else does too. I grew up in Portobello and a lot has been done to attract people to the beach on nice days. We need to keep our public facilities open. Maybe in the Winter the opening hours could be reduced but there is a desperate need to keep our beaches clean and having no facilities will not help this at all.
How can Portobello be considered as a tourist spot with no toilets. Families and people with disabilities need access to free toilets. Cuts, cuts, cuts. None are properly thought through. Just cutting across the board is actually unlawful. There has to be good thought out and valid reasons for cuts to services.
Very short sighted considering how busy the beach is in the summer.
As a regular visitor to my childhood home I find these toilets a valuable facility and use them regularly, I feel they would be greatly missed and restrict the time I could spend in Portobello and Joppa
Most of the businesses around the promenade in Portobello don’t permit non-customers to use their conveniences. Given the large number of public and community events in Portobello, plus the vast number of visitors who visit the beach in the summer, it would be a disaster to lose these conveniences. To lose them runs the risk of increased numbers of people using the beach as a toilet! It would be far better to bring them up to the standard of similar conveniences in place like Dunbar and Musselburgh, which are well looked after, clean and well used.
The prom toilets at Pipe Lane are a disgrace. It is and has been for years a complete eyesore to the prom visitors and locals alike. However they should not be allowed to just remain locked up there encouraging grafitti and vandalism. The joppa end toilets are more modern and easier to keep.
Portobello is a place visited daily by people who do not live in the area, therefore are unable to go home for the loo. I visit weekly with my daughter who uses public toilets regularly. My elderly father often joins us at the prom and due to medication needs to use public toilets hourly. It is an essential service.
My children use all of these toilets on a regular basis, as the pay toilet on the prom is not always in use.
Although numbers of visitors to the prom can vary with time of year and weather the availability of public toilets make a visit to the area a better experience. I live in the area and don’t need to use them very often but know that we visit North Berwick a lot and the public toilets there are an essential part of a day out there. We want to attract visitors particularly those that visit by bus ir cycle and they need these facilities
As Portobello is a tourist area it is essential that there are public toilets. I think the toilets on Bath Street should be retained and modernized as Bath Street is the main street used by tourists to get to the beach. It would be unthinkable to close the toilet facilities on Bath Street. Perhaps the Council could make a 20p charge for usage like what happens at Waverley Station and at St. Andrew Square Bus Station. People don’t mind paying if the facilities are kept clean.
Where are the thousands of people that visit Portobello beach each year meant to go to the toilet? The automatic loo beside the pirate park has already been closed. This is so short sighted; any other European city with a beach would celebrate and promote it. How can we possibly do that when people will be forced to wee in the surrounding streets?
It’s a beach and promenade that’s is always busy and toilets are a much essential facility
Are the huge numbers if visitors to the beach meant to pee in street? This is a revolting idea.
I strongly object to these facilities being closed, I have lived in Portobello my whole life & have used these toilets hundreds of times over the years with my three children, whether goin back & forward to school or a walk to joppa rocks. I know these are a needed facility for the whole community, young, elderly & also for the many visitors to Portobello, especially over the summer months.
These facilities are vital to visitors and also used by local residents, in particular our huge numbers of young children. There is very little business capacity to have open access to their toilet facilities unlike in the city centre where you can easily access toilet facilities in large department stores.
Portobello needs all these toilets to be in operation. What are visitors supposed to do! Many young children come to Portobello, especially in the good weather.
I regularly use the Prom with my 6 year old daughter with Cerebral Palsy. We use the toilets on either end of the prom at least 2 or 3 times a week. If these toilets were to close we would be limited on how much time we could spend on the Prom. It is really hard for her to "nip" into a local business to use the toilet. She has a radar key. If the main toilets close would the accessible ones still be available?
If you are spending the afternoon at the beach you need to go to the toilet. It’s not fair for business owners to have to constantly let people trail through their premises to use the toilet, especially in the summer time if they are sandy or wet. I appreciate the council are short of money but it seems like they are just closing everything that makes life nice.
We need public toilets especially in the summer for visitors
Closing public toilets next to a beach as large and busy at Portobello is only going to create further issues for EDI.
Thousands visit the beach in Summer. Closing these facilities suggests that the council don’t feel these visitors are important to the local economy at all.
Seriously….!!!!!!! whats next from the council…? They seem to forget these busy and well used PUBLIC CONVENIENCES are to serve the public. If the closures go ahead, where do people go to spend a penny ? Or as usual it’s the City of Edinburgh Council trying to save pennies. One word comes to mind….TRAMS…..!!!!! now they were worth the money, a complete squandering disgrace of PUBLIC money. If this goes ahead I will be going to my councillor to protest the proposed closures.
The closure of these facilities would leave the promenade which has seen footfall & usage vastly increase in the past few years without any public conveniences at all. This would put the many visitors to the area in the position of having to use facilities in private businesses such as the espy, tower amusements, Dalriada etc…which I don’t think the owners would be too happy with. As usual the council thinks that tourists & visitors only want to walk up and down the royal mile, any where else can fend for itself…anyone tell me where the loos are in the queen’s park, not that visitors go there either!
Closing these facilities would be extremely detrimental to the area and would discourage visitors to the area as well as becoming an inconvenience to residents as the beach, parks and prom are very popular with families and the elderly for exercise and fresh air.
We try and attract visitors to the area, amenities MUST be provided.
It would be detrimental to Portobello if the toilets were closed. If there have to be closures then at least keeping one faculty open is essential. There would be no public facilities at the Joppa end of the promenade. You could say the other public toilets are, at least near pubs.
With the amount of visitors all year round 3 toilets is not even enough! There are enough instances of mess on the beach and it’s not all dog fouling!!!
I would prefer there to be some kind d of entrance charge rather than scrapping. If cost is the issue this would at least alleviate some of the budget pressure.
This is a terrible proposal. I was at the play ground near Towerbank school a couple of weekends ago when my 3 year old had an accident. We walked to the toilets at Pipe Lane but they were closed, we then walked to the automatic toilet by Straiton Place park but that was also closed. We ended up having to walk all the way to the swimming pool to use the toilets there. A very unpleasant experience.
As a resident since the seventies I think it is great that Porty is now cleaner, more attractive and has better amenities. As a consequence there are lots more visitors. When I walk on the busy promenade I see many senior citizens, families with children…. and soon no public facilities ? Actually there are lots of people who just need them. A bus ride to Porty from the city, a walk to the prom, a walk on the prom and you can’t find a loo? What kind of council is this ? Sorry, but clean well-maintained public facilites should be a priority!
Public toilets are a necessity, especially in an area with so many visitors
… The Joppa ones are used a lot by cyclists and anyone walikg the length of the prom, so please don’t shut them
"Portobello is a popular destination for many people in and around Edinburgh city, especially during the summer months and most of the local businesses rely on such visitors. I’m sure the work involved in ensuring the beach and the prom remain clean, and its facilities easily accessible, plays an important role in keeping visitors happy and encouraging them to return in future. I cannot see how closing any of the toilet facilities would be conducive towards coping with the volume of visitors. All it would serve to do would be to increase pressure on local businesses to accommodate long queues of people needing to use the loo, even if they aren’t customers. It would not surprise me if some people resorted to urinating in certain areas, especially during the height of summer, when people are usually drinking and eating and spending a long time along the beach and promenade. The long term effects are visitor dissatisfaction and a reluctance to return, especially if there might be better alternatives elsewhere. Edinburgh already has very few public toilet facilities when compared to the volume of local and international visitors it receives annually. I cannot see how reducing the number of facilities would bode well for the reputation that Portobello has as a seaside community. I hope the Edinburgh City Council can be persuaded against such a course of action. Of course I realise that savings need to be made and there are budget constraints. I wonder if there are possible alternatives that all of us in and around Portobello could look into. How about a voluntary group to look after and maintain some of the facilities – could that be a viable option? An arrangement could be made where the city council would maintain the automated toilet and the Bath St toilet, while the other two could be part of a local community initiative. I would be happy to help out in any way possible in such a venture. Or what about charging a very nominal fee to use such facilities – 10p or 20p to help towards some of the costs of maintaining the toilets? I would rather we kept it free, but it might be another possible compromise.
The toilets are absolutely essential in the summer months, with Portobello and the beach in particular a busy visitor destination. Visitors clearly need access to public toilets. There were complaints from residents near the Pipe Street toilets about people urinating behind / to the side of the toilets when they were closed. Not sure if that’s still a problem but shows that there is always demand for the toilets.
There is already a serious lack of public toilets throughout the whole of Edinburgh.
This will result in people using the beach and alleyways. What do they expect people to do?
cost cutting exercise without a proper risk assessment on reputation and service.
I’m concerned that people who come to the beach for a cheap day out cannot toilet. They ma y not afford paying toilets or cafes. They may soil the beach or sea. Older people may need to toilet quite urgently and if we are to promote frailer people getting out and about and walking they need toilet stops. It is useful if toilets are part of an existing provision such as the Joppa loos and should be a compulsory free provision in any plans for the pipe St site/development.
The area needs to do all it can to retain and expand on visitor numbers. Public toilets are important to encourage use of the beach and local play parks which in turn encourage use of local shops and transport. A family with young children will think twice about spending the day at Portobello beach if they can’t access toilets easily. The local community makes great use of the prom and bath street all year round and to not have basic facilities would be to the detriment of the area. It would make more sense to introduce a small entry fee to access the toilets to help fund their upkeep. In an area with so much outdoor interest to the community and visitors all year (from sunny days to winter events) it would be a very shortsighted decision to close these facilities. Spending just one day at the beach and along bath street to the High Street from those at the council making this decision would make them rethink. Using the high street shops I often use the bath street facilities to change my baby. I’d shop at big supermarkets outwith the area for the ease of using their facilities instead of along the high street’s independent traders if those toilets weren’t available.
In my opinion these toilets are essential to the many users of the prom and the beach
Public health issue if visitors during the summer chose to pass urine on the beach. And perhaps defecate. Also issues of public decency. Local cafés and pubs can’t support summer numbers of toilet visitors (especially when they may not be paying customers.) Portobello is a fantastic amenity and tourist attraction for the city of Edinburgh. Please keep it that way.
I feel very strongly that if we want to attract visitors to our fantastic beach, and provide for th local community, then we absolutely need to provide good, clean toilet/washing facilities to the public.
It is short sighted to suggest that Edinburgh’s seaside and promenade can function without public toilets. How can we expect to encourage people to visit Edinburgh’s seaside attraction without basic provision of facilities?
… There are only a few businesses with toilet facilities on the prom and they are not equipped to deal with a large influx of visitors. Closing the public toilets would be a major issue in an area that has gradually lost family orientated facilities over the years. We need to regenerate the area, making it a family friendly place to visit. How can Edinburgh justify promoting Portobello as a place to spend a great family day out when even the basic facilities will not be provided? Whilst I appreciate spending cuts have to be made where possible, can’t a compromise be reached by keeping the toilets open during the busy times.
"For any sakes who thought up these closures? Closure would cause a host of problems – where could people go? The Beach would become a very unwelcome place for families to visit, or indeed the elderly. Local cafes/pubs would be inundated with non-paying customers using their facilities and no number of ‘These toilets are reserved for.. ‘ notices would stop people in need using them!
This is a public health matter as well as vital to provide toilets for visitors.
… What will it be like in the summer time when the beach is packed with visitors where are people expected to go!! Its preposterous to even suggest the toilets closing down.
Public toilets in various locations are required in the area. As a visitor I use these facilities and notice they are well used by others. Children also require the facilities. Not everyone can go to a cafe and purchase goods in order to use the toilets in there.
Portobello is very busy and esp with families and children it is essential that there is close access. I remember finding them so helpful when my children were small. actually now tht I am a senior citizen its pretty important for the elderly too. Access for any and all!
As a Joppa resident I am concerned at these closure plans because in the summer and frequently at other times of the year, for instance when there are events on the prom, these are necessary and well-used utilities. It would be irresponsible for the council to remove these services – where else would people be expected to go? … Portobello and especially the prom are great places and already attract a lot of visitors, not only do I think it is crazy to remove these basic toilet facilities. What we should really be doing is investing and providing shower facilities, these can be charged for and could make money, especially if the whole prom was invested in to encourage visitors down to actually spend money and enjoy a great day at the beach, swimming, buying lucnhes, coffees etc. If there was investment in the area during the winter months aswell, it would bring people out of Edinburgh and down to the coast. Winter festival on the prom, not just the centre of town! Anyway, I am getting carried away now, but definitely please lets keep our basic toilet facilities.
Portobello is a busy and very popular place to think about closing the public toilets are absolutely ridiculous it makes no sense , where are they people supposed to go.
We as a community are trying hard to make the area a welcoming seaside attraction. To remove the only public conveniences with no viable alternatives is I believe a step that will lead to visitors being put off visiting or even worse relieving themselves in park bushes or peoples gardens/doorways.
we have disabled kids … we have came to Portobello for almost 18 years because its a cool area and for the toilets as well seriously from glasgow southside we travel there by car apprx twice a month to eat and have a fresh walk this always involves the toilets named , some cafes dont have tpoilets that we use so pland to possibly fife or south queensferry etc may have to be concidered, please concider having turnstyle with coin operated asd many many other areas have this we dont mind paying
Portobello is an increasingly popular destination for visitors especially on hot summer days. Lots of families come to enjoy an inexpensive day at the beach. Surely the Council does not expect the few cafes which are situated on the Prom to cater for all when a toilet visit is necessary. These cafes are usually very busy and provide toilets for the use of their customers so would be unable to cater for non customers needing to use their toilet facilities. If all public toilet provision is closed can the Council please explain where people are meant to go when they need to use a toilet? Also Portobello High Street is a very busy shopping centre so public toilet provision is essential for many shoppers. If the Council wants to promote Portobello as a family friendly destination they need to reconsider their proposal to close public toilet provision in Portobello.
Whilst I live at Joppa end I can see the wider footfall of other 2 locations make sense to be prioritised. Times are tough!
Portobello is a visitor attraction which is busy during the summer. There are large expanses of the Prom with no other facilities unless pubs and restaurants and this simply isn’t practical if you are trying to have a meal and loads of people are simply walking in to use the toilet. It would be like eating in a public toilet. Secondly, you want people to use the bus. The traffic in Portobello is busy. Therefore, it is not unusual to expect people might need to use a toilet on arrival. There is also a hygiene aspect if people are on the beach / in the water and would like to wash their hands before eating a picnic for example.
Facilities are used and especially on the beach where hundreds of children play. These are needed
Where are the public who use Portobello beach going to go when in need of a toilet? Children spend hours on the beach and in the parks along the prom – they can’t expect to go hours without a toilet. The closure of public toilets will result in people using communal stairs as a toilet. This used to happen a lot in the past. I fear the closure of public toilets will see a return of people using communal stairs as a convenient place when their need is great.
It’s as basic a provision for a Council as rubbish collection or street sweeping. This should not even be in the agenda.
As a very large number of visitors come to Portobello when the weather is good, it is absolutely essential that the toilets on the Promenade, the Pipe Lane toilet in particular, remain open for as much of the year as possible. I do not feel so strongly about the Bath Street toilet remaining open as I don’t think it is quite as important a facility to visitors to Portobello..
Where are our visitors going to go to the toilet? If we take these conveniences away then the council will have to have agreements from local businesses that their facilities can be used. In doing so though, these businesses incur costs in increased water bills – so we need to know what the council is going to provide for our very important visitors. I know in some rural communities cafes and shops offer their facilities but Portobello is hardly rural. Please defend at least one of these facilities – being able to go to the toilet is a really basic requirement!
Do you actually want visitors? I’m an annual Moonwalker. I deal with the annual delay in the council approving the route and then sort out the logistics of attending an overnight event without using my car or public transport. You couldn’t be less welcoming – oh you could if you shut your public toilets.
Portobello is a visitor destination on the up and up, the last thing it needs is a reduction in available public toilets. We have been given trams that we had no desire for by the council, please do not take away toilets that we actually need. Thanks.
These toilets are essential for and to attract visitors
Someone from the council should come down to the beach in the summer and see how many 10s of 1000s of people are there. It is unfair on local businesses such as the Espy and Beach House to have all these people using their limited toilets. Already children wee on the beach because parents don’t want to pay to use the Straiton Park toilets. We don’t want all those adults weeing on the beach too.
I commute by bike through Portobello/Joppa and I often bring my children to the seaside, patronising the local businesses. The lack of a public convenience would make me bypass Portobello and go to Livingston or somewhere else with such conveniences.
As a resident of more than twenty years I have occasionally used these toilets at either end of my daily walk and have often indicated to visitors where they may go to find toilets. It is key to a community’s range of essential amenities to have public toilets. The paid one along the seafront is of questionable amenity – though handy when working but not suitable during busier periods – and we want the Prom and Portobello to be busy!!!
I find this truly unbelievable. If the prom is to remain an attractive and viable place for visitors to come to spend some time then public toilets are a basic requirement. If the public toilets close the beach/prom/surrounding streets will inevitably become Porty’s public toilet.
The public toilets are an important part of our seaside commune, not only in the summer time but all year around. If the toilets are closed than the pubs & cafés will be overwhelmed with people using their toilets as well as customers & people will use the beach & alley ways for their toilets needs (mainly in the summer) & we’ve got enough problems with dog fouling as it is. Also bus drivers rely heavily on the Joppa public toilets as well as the Bath St. toilets.
Public toilets are a service which the Council should continue to provide especially as rge beach & Prom are visitor attractions. Without them there would be an increse in people caught short and using public spaces. The Council could introduce charging for the service but it would ned to upgrade some of toilets first!
We held a consultation meeting on 25th October which was attended by 60 the majority of whom were people with dementia and carers. Easy access to public toilets was identified as one of the keys to Portobello being an inclusive community which allows them to go out and about with confidence. We therefore very strongly agree that all 3 public toilets referred to are vital to health and wellbeing not only of people with dementia but families with children and older men and women who are known to be prone to medical conditions which require quick and easy access to public toilets. At a recent meeting of the DFP Steering Group, which includes 2 people with a diagnosis of dementia, your consultation was specifically discussed and these points reinforced. In addition the point was made that Portobello is a destination for visitors from across Edinburgh and also from overseas. Portobello is generally very access friendly for people with disabilities and older people and we want to promote Portobello as a friendly community for everybody – residents and visitors. We believe it should also be promoted as a destination for healthy walking groups but would have no confidence in doing so if the number and siting of public toilets was reduced. The facilities at Edinburgh Leisure are not suitable – the swim centre has only 2 cubicle for ladies on the first floor and these are generally very busy, the ones at Tumbles are also very limited and not so easily accessible from the main stretch of the Promenade. The Bath Street toilets are essential to serve the High Street shoppers. It is not acceptable to expect shops and businesses to open up their facilities to the public who are non-customers. There is a risk to public health and safety if facilities are reduced as some people will simply use outdoor public places around the beach area. We want to send a strong public health message to the City of Edinburgh Council that under no circumstances should any of the 3 public toilets be under threat of closure, they are absolutely essential to instil confidence for people who require these facilities i.e. adults with a whole range of medical conditions and children as well as the population at large. Demand on facilities is going to rise as our population ages and as Portobello becomes better known as a desirable destination (which we hope it will – with public facilities being integral to its reputation).
Given the amount of money that tourists bring to Edinburgh, the Council should consider the impression that lack of toilet provision will give to visitors. Such a lack of courtesy and concern will be related back home! And many Edinburgh residents find this service vital when they are out and about.
I run a Guest House in Portobello and frequently during the Summer months have people come to my door to ask to use a toilet. I have twice had someone using my garden as a toilet. And that is with the current level of provision. Please do not close them – they are a necessity.
As someone who runs along the prom the public toilets on Joppa Rd are a life saver. The area is so busy all year round but especially during the summer that closing the toilets would be a health hazard, men would be pissing on the beach, I don’t know where the women would go. There aren’t any cafe’s at that end of the prom and even if they were they couldn’t cope with the number of people who would want to use the toilet.
Portobello has many visitors who leave a mess , the basic toilet facilities we have need upgraded not closed , even showering facilities especially for children in the summer months.
All locations attract a large number of people, both locals and visitors for whom these are important facilities. The footfall is important for the prosperity and vitality of the area. That the Council is proposing to withdraw these facilities is extremely disappointing and is one area I would wish my Council tax to continue to support.
Public toilets are essential for visitors (and occasionally locals, too). Towns like North Berwick have sparkling, award-winning toilets that make a visit to the town more pleasant, and make it more likely that people will spend time (and money) there. Portobello is working hard to attract more visitors and improve local amenities generally and public toilet provision should be part of this overall strategy. … The Council could consider charging for their use, as other towns do; that would be better than having no provision.
Public toilets are a must at public places, especially one which by their very nature attracts children (kids can’t hold it in) the closure of any one of these public toilets would only encourage people to urinate in the street, which is not a comforting thought with very young children.
I think the closure of all of these facilities makes no sense and strongly oppose it. The beach at Portobello is happily enjoying a great deal of popularity and has a great many visitors. There have to be public conveniences available surely. Many families go with young children and need to have access to toilet facilities. baby changing facilities should also be available. I don’t feel the mechanised toilet by Straiton Park is any substitute – I have never wanted to use it and would feel anxious about my young children getting trapped in there. I’ve seen suggestions of turnstiles and a small charge or community-run toilets. If there is not enough money to support current facilities then please apply a creative solution rather than jeopardising tourist industry in a thriving part of Edinburgh. People are very involved in the community here and I’m sure would be happy to help with a solution
These are essential public toilets, particularly in the summer when the Portobello population increases massively! It would be a travesty to close these – I think closure would have a significant negative effect on the area, from pressure on local businesses to open their facilities to non-customers (causing increased running and maintenance costs) to what I think would be an inevitable increase in public urination in the nearby streets and lanes. Not only would that be unpleasant to see, or for local residents to open their doors to, but it clearly presents public health issues. This would be unacceptable, particularly given the large numbers of children present on the beach and prom on busy days. Furthermore, Portobello has a significant population of young families, who use the prom and surrounding areas on a daily basis – these public toilets allow families to enjoy the local playparks and beach, without having to leave at short notice to go home when a child needs to use the toilet. From an economic perspective, allowing families this convenience allows them to stay in the area for longer, consequently making them more likely to buy from local businesses. Given the designation as ‘Edinburgh’s seaside’, I’m genuinely surprised that this is being proposed – surely to encourage people to visit, and revisit, there should be continuing investment in facilities, not cuts. As a local resident, I would hate to see this family friendly area degraded by the loss of these facilities, and would ask that these closures do not proceed.
Portobello is a destination for residents and tourists from Edinburgh and beyond – often with small children. The provision of public toilets is essential in this regard.
How do you expect people to come and shop or just enjoy the beach area if there’s no toilet facilities?! We have many elderly and pre school people that come to Portobello that use the toilets regularly! How can you justify closing public convieniences?!
The sheer volume of visitors in summer demands MORE toilets. Especially on the Prom.
People on the beach regularly come up our back lane to urinate and sometimes even defaecate – quite often against our back gate. It is horrible to have to clear it up. Closing what public loos there are is only going to make that problem worse.
As someone with a medical condition that at times requires use of a bathroom at short notice, these toilets are a vital facility for Portobello. I personally carry a radar key and have on many occasions used the public bathrooms when I wouldn’t be able to get back to the house in time. At its worst, delaying using the toilet can be incredibly painful and result in soiling myself. Having toilets throughout the city as a whole is vital for myself, for the disabled, for people with small children who can’t nip into the nearest pubs and the 5% or so of the population suffering from inflammatory or irritable bowel conditions. I cycle regularly and tend to head to East Lothian where every small town or village has spotless attended toilets. Edinburgh needs more investment in toilets – not less
There should no closures at all, more toilets should be provided rather than fewer
it is very important that the council provides public conveniences at such a public orientated place. In removing the toilets will result in either, or both, a decease in public footfall resulting in local business struggling due to lack of customers or the beach and surrounding area being used for people reliving themselves.
It is not only visitors that use these facilies, the locals of Portobello and Joppa. Would the council prefer people to do the toilet in the open and on the beach ! I’ve lived in the area all my life and in recent years have seen a massive increase of visitors to the area.
Given the number of visitors to the beach in the summer, it’s essential to keep public toilets available
Surely keeping the toilets open is a spend to save argument? Visitors to Porty bring a huge amount of revenue to the shops, bars, etc, and also provide a low-cost day out for folk. Thus, more income from tax, better promotion of mental and physical wellbeing (for the people who use the beach and related amenities) and so reduced healthcare costs, plus more income for the business owners and more jobs, so less needing to rely on tops-ups to make ends meet. We should be doing everything to make Porty more attractive to visitor for many reasons, but the above are some of the examples of this: if we take away the toilets, people won’t stay as long, and may choose to go elsewhere where there are public loos. Plus, will removing them (or charging) result in increased urination in the streets/ on the beach, adding clean-up costs and also further detracting from the attractiveness of Porty?
Do not believe closing public toilets is a cost effective way of managing budget.
I think the proposal to close all of these public toilets is a disgrace. We want people to visit the beach and should be providing basic facilities. The local businesses do not allow people to just use the toilets unless they have purchased something and so what are people expected to do, especially those with children or the elderly? I actually feel there should be better provisions provided at the beach including more toilets, changing rooms and showers to wash off salt water and sand. The lack of visitor parking is also very poor. I am proud of Portobello beach and have lived here all my life but am very disappointed the council are considering this.
At present the amount of fouling of the beach & prom is quite low (surprisingly so). The closure of the toilet facilities raises the possibility of human as well as animal fouling of the seafront & as police patrols along the front are infrequent to say the least no deterrent would be in place!"
It is not fair or feasible to expect local businesses to provide toilet facilities for local residents and visitors to Portobello Beach. The planned closures would force some visitors to use the lanes near the beach as public conveniences instead. This is not acceptable. The Joppa toilets are also used by bus drivers for a comfort break. Public toilets are not a luxury, they are a necessity.
This is ridiculous! Portobello is a thriving community attracting visitors to the beach all year round, but particularly in their hundreds in the summer. Where will all these crowds go to the toilet if these toilets are closed? Surely the council isn’t advocating visitors defecating and urinating on the beach or prom? Why aren’t these toilets pay per pee if their future is so uncertain?
An absolute disgrace that as a so called Convenience to the Public would be considered for closure, these amenities are for the public mainly visiting or shopping in Portobello, If these closures go ahead, elderly people who use these facilities will be confined to their homes,as not everyone has full control over their bladder/bowels Children in the Summer months will be subject to humiliation or even A Fine by the Council as they will have to go to the Toilet elsewhere & we all know that will be on the Beach. This Councils proposal is encouraging this action by parents and children alike should these closures be allowed!
This is the most ridiculous suggestion yet and obviously thought up by someone who resides nowhere near CLOSED public toilets. I have been advocating for the toilets to be open all year round for years 14 to be exact. When the toilets are closed on the Prom I have to endure men in my clear sight relieving themselves just yards from my home – not a pretty sight! This has been reported and an occasional hose down on the affected areas so is known to the Council. What kind of seaside resort has no toilets? Would you find this problem in England? If we want to bring Portobello up to scratch you have to have public toilets. I’m sure the people buying the Luxury Apartments on the Kiln site won’t want the view I have!"
The Portobello and Joppa toilet facilities cannot be closed, full stop. What on earth does Edinburgh Council think will happen come the high season / Summer months? Do people crowd into local businesses or use residential gardens and lanes? The beach attracts tourists and visitors at all times of the year, people get caught, parents with children the elderly and above all the general public. Potentially, thousands of people throughout the year that will struggle without this crucial service. The prom and surrounding area is only going to grow in popularity of the coming years. So come on, please rethink and see the value and importance these sites add to the community. NO CLOSURE!
Serve the community for heaven’s sake
Portobello opens up to the public all through the year but especially in the summer months. Unless you are going to restrict the beach to just residents then, like a restaurant etc, you have to provide conveniences for them to use or have them piss and poo (like dogs) around the area regardless. I also realise that there is massive public spending over and above what can be afforded so think of a new solution like charge a small fee for the loos and perhaps shut them during winter months?
The prom is very busy both winter and summer. If people don’t have toilet facilities they actually use doorways and the beach. This is no way to treat your ""Edinburgh seaside"" nor will it help in the ratings for tourism. I am sure there is a public decency law that must be considered in this decision. The businesses do not allow non customers to use their toilets so it leaves many hundreds of people without facilities. The council has a responsibility to provide essential services for its community, please continue to do so.
Portobello depends on visitors and is also a wonderful place for families to take kids on days out. It will be really difficult for everyone if there are no public toilets near to the beach. All of these people bring revenue to our town, and imagine the public shame of being the town reported on as having no basic facilities.
As old and decrepit as they are, public toilets are a very important facility to a seaside town. And considering the council are trying to promote this town as a tourist facility – then there should be toilets here.
If anything, the toilets need some refurbishment. Portobello attracts a lot of visitors. It only makes sense that this basic amenity is available and maintained at a standard that encourages people to use them.
To remove public toilets from what is a major destination for visitors from all over the world (a quick walk along Portobello Prom or Hight St any time of year will confirm this) as well as the many more local residents who regularly use the facilities it’s seem incredulous that Edinburgh Council is considering closing …
The council have not been there during the summer months when the beach is akin to the costa del sol. Close the toilets and people will be defecating in public, between cars (already been noted), the area will suffer with bacteria and the two pubs and two cafes on the Prom will be continually resisting those that want to use them. Its an insane move. The rowing and sailing club need the toilets too..people that use the water and beach for recreation, where do they go..This year volley ball championships were held on he beach, Rowing regatta, various running and sporting evnets through the summer, complete nonsensical and a backward step in civilisation in Portobello if you do this..The area needs support …can the council tell me what the demand was to create the the toilets in the first place , er has that changed!!.With increased population in Portobello , new flats, Bailieyfield development and ever increasing summer recreational visitors this is total madness.
During a time when we are all struggling for money we are looking to holiday at home. There is no better place in Edinburgh to take the kids for a family day out. This closure would mean that a day trip is no longer possible.
I have been visiting Portobello for 20+ years of my adult life now, previously to walk my dogs and now to walk my children. At least one (if not two) of these toilets have featured with each visit.Most public houses or cafes (quite rightly) would prefer to keep their toilets for their customers so I cannot imagine where we will go without the public ones. I don’t even visit Portobello on sunny days when I know it’s incredibly busy. What are people to do then?
Surely nobody can condone the proposed closure of all the public toilets in Portobello especially as it’s advertised as Edinburgh’s seaside. You are actively seeking visitors to the beach but want to remove public toilets. This is ridiculous given how many people use the area. Removal of the services would result in people either fouling the beach (more than at present) or antagonising local businesses by folk using their toilets. Alternatively people will stop visiting the area altogether in favour of somewhere like Musselburgh which has toilets as well as the park and beach.
Given the number of visitors to the area, particularly in summer, surely it is a necessity to keep the public toilets. Parents with children find these invaluable. where else will people go since there are few other options and the local cafes certainly dont appreciate people traipsing through when the beach is busy. it is a necessity. I use them less frequently now myself but they were absolutely fantastic when my daughter was little and i know others feel the same.
These facilities are essential, especially in the summer months, the local shops, cafes and bars do not have the capacity to manage being a free public convenience.
It is not just visitors that need these facilities. I live on the Promenade and have small children who cannot always wait until we get home and so we also use these facilities.
I use these toilets regularly, whether running, cycling, kayaking or walking the dog. It’s important people using the beach have somewhere to go, it spoils and shortens the visit to not have toilet facilities nearby.
Portobello is Edinburgh’s beach, folk from all over town and out of town come here to enjoy the beach all year round. What are they going to do if they need the toilet on their visit? Two options only…. harass local businesses to use their facilities or worst and most likely option, pee in the street! Yep, good thinking councillors!!
We have Hundreds of visitors in Portobello each year as we are Edinburgh’s seaside resort so it does seem to me that the council like taking money from the portobello tourist without supplying them with the basics ie toilets
Portobello attracts many visitors so amenities are of the utmost importance.
as a senior citizen, I frequently have urgent need of WC facilities: as will many others, including parents of young children the prom & beach are valued resources – hence need for ""support"" facilities near at hand
Do the Council have ANY idea how busy the Promenade and High Street are and just how essential the toilet facilities are? Visitors now come all year round and regardless of the weather to Portobello. It is VITAL to keep the toilets open. To suggest that people can walk to either the swimming baths or the indoor leisure centre is crass … We cannot lose any of these facilities if we want to welcome people to Edinburgh’s seaside. You only have to go to North Berwick, Musselburgh or Port Seton to see other seaside towns who value their ‘award winning’ toilet facilities. Edinburgh CC should have similarly high aspirations. Portobello deserves better.
We are all human and having a convenience within reasonable walking distance at all times can give people a sense of security and put minds at ease. This is a basic need and should be treated as such. Please keep them open.
where will the public go if these are closed ? these are not just nice to have like fireworks but essential to those wishing to enjoy out in the community , which is a great health benefit.
Public toilets are a basic necessity for a beach that is heavily used by locals and tourists. I would also argue that the council have a duty of care to people with limited mobility who may not be able to walk further to access suitable toilet facilities.
Well used public facilities – should be retained and upgraded – essential for all in portobello especially old infirm and children
Portobello needs to provide public conveniences for the many people who visit the beach throughout the year. To close them would be negligent.
I think we should be encouraging visitors to Portobello not chasing them away. Toilets are called public conveniences for a reason and to remove them will make it extremely difficult for families to spend time at the beach. Do you expect day-trippers to ask local businesses if they can use their toilets? or just use the beach or a back street? I frequently take my grandchildren along the prom and shop in Portobello, I don’t want to have to take them home whenever they need to use the toilet.
As a former resident of Portobello with a small child, I used all three of these public toilets on a regular basis. When the weather gets nice, the beach becomes extremely busy and it seems unfair to put a strain on the local cafes and restaurants that would bear the brunt of traffic solely to use the toilet. That’s not fair to the restaurant owners or patrons. My family still visits Portobello frequently throughout the year and to be honest, our visits my decrease if there is a lack of facilities. It’s one of the reasons why Portobello is such a popular, amenable place to visit.
I strongly feel that the closure of these toilets would be to the detriment of Portobello. They are essential both for locals and visitors to the beach. As a parent of small children public toilets are a god send. Sincerely hoping that the council has a re think on this issue.
Portobello is under-rated by the City as their seaside resort and it is vitally important to maintain all our toilets as a service to all the visitors who come and walk the Prom and the beach year round.
In summer months we have hundreds of visitors, where are they going to go to the toilet. You will have people urinating everywhere which is disgusting and a health hazard. Even in the winter there is always plenty people taking walks along the prom. Myself a local uses these toilets as well. I have two children, where are they going to go to the toilet?
These facilities are vitally important to Portobello. … The prom is used 12 months of the year and we should welcome residents and visitors alike. I would rather see a charge than closure
Portobello is a busy bustling place for most of the time but particularly in the spring and summer months. There are now many families in the area and it would be a poor show if visitors and local families with children could not access public toilets.
I often travel a fair distance to visit the beach and the promenade and feel that these facilities are very important to visitors like me
The toilets at Pipe Lane and Joppa Road are particularly appreciated by families visiting the beach on good days. When the beach is crowded and there are no available toilets, other businesses, pubs and the public baths are going to come under extra pressure. There is also the issue of "public nuisance."
I have young children who like to spend a lot of time outdoors. They can pee on the beach or in the park, but we need somewhere sanitary to dispose of poos. If the circumstances demand, I will bag it and bin it, but I know plenty of parents who (or whose children) would never consider pooing outdoors, and if you want healthy active children spending time out on the beach, provision of toilets is an important factor. Also, if there are no public toilets, people will just go wherever they can, and the dog poo is already bad enough.
As someone with a hidden disability, it is very important to me that these facilities continue as I often urgently need toilet access. I AM A CARER for my mother in portobello and access is important for us. I also see how busy portobello is as a visitor area, with families with small children and elderly people and folk with disabilities. It would ne absurd to close these facilities. People come to.porty to walk often and toilets are much needed.
IT seems important to have toilets when there are so many visitors of all ages. If the public ones close then it would be important to have an arrangement with local cafes to let non-customers use their toilets. I would prefer to have proper public toilets and I use the Joppa Road one frequently when I am out walking my dog.
As this is Edinburgh’s seaside. We attract lots of visitors who need to have acces to toilets. All seaside resorts do and also the toilets at Joppa are regularly used as a relief for bus drivers and van drivers!
As a local resident, I believe that the closure of these facilities will result in a public health hazard, with human waste on the beach and in the parks. It will also create significant issues for local businesses, such as the local cafes and pubs, whose toilets will have to be used by non-customers if there are no public ones nearby. I think it is unreasonable to present Portobello as ‘Edinburgh’s seaside’ without the provision of the most basic facilities for visitors. I strongly oppose the closure of any of these public conveniences.
Although I don’t live in Portobello itself, I am close enough to visit regularly and feel it would be most unfair on local businesses to have to deal with visitors to the beach going in their premises to use the toilet – would cause a lot of anger. Where there is a beach, there will be high visitor numbers and there is a definite need for public toilets – it would be a really regressive step to take them away. Do we really have to go back to pre-Victorian standards?!
Even as a local resident, I use these toilets regularly. But for visitors to Porty, I think they are vital.
"All 3 sites are very important for holiday makers, visitors, travellers and indeed the local community… Joppa Road is frequently used by bus, van and lorry drivers. It would be used even more by the pedestrian traffic if it was better signposted. It would also be an obvious suggestion, but such signs should also include the opening hours for the facilities, and this applies to all our City convencies. If any or all of these sites were removed, where do you expect those in need to get relief? If our dog walkers are expected to carry ""doggy-bags"", should they, as well as everyone else, be expected to carry ""people-bags""? Perhaps the Council proppose issuing us all with our very own poop-scoopers? I regard the provision of Public Lavatories as an essential service to preserve hygene and health within our community and am strongly opposed to any closures."
With the number of small children in the area public toilets are absolutely essential as small people cannot hold it in and need to go right away. If the toilets are closed the local businesses will be inundated with parents of little ones begging to use their facilities.
I actually think there should be more public toilets available around the prom and not less, especially available in the evening for those people that come along and use the beach in an evening
Edinburgh is a capital city, and needs to maintain all the facilities we expect to make life easier and welcoming to locals and visitors. Lack of public toilets restricts freedom for those with certain health problems, young and old. Better to have paying loos if they can be maintained to a good standard. East lothian manage it.
Large numbers of summer visitors to portobello/joppa need adeqaute toliet provsion and suitable amenities. Unless suitable community access to toliet facilities are widely available this would be discriminatory for those with bowel/bladder conditions or problems with continece who will be given protections under the disability provisions of the Equality Act 2010
It’s a terrible idea to even think about closing the toilets, using the toilet is a basic human need and on the busy days in summer we don’t have enough toilets in portobello never mind closing the ones we have.
Portobello attracts many visitors from other parts of Edinburgh who do not have the advantage of having a lovely promenade and beach. Families with children enjoy trips to Portobello, Last year the prom and beach were full of people enjoying these pleasures. Many residents also are in the habit of walking along the promenade on a daily basis Edinburgh is a must for tourists to our beautiful city, which includes visits to Portobello.Public Toliets are an necessity not a luxury. Closing them would create a health hazard.
"Portobello seeks to attract visitors – visitors need access to public toilets. Not everyone will be able/willing to take children to a cafe or bar where they will have to buy something to access the toilets. Automated facilities are not an adequate replacement either. These facilities need to stay open.
As a commuter and a regular visitor to Portobello ( I live in Musselburgh), having public toilets is very useful, particularly as I cycle through the town to work in Edinburgh.
The tourism experience is made up of many things and provision of accessible public toilets is one of them. We want people to visit to stay longer and to spend more and to return and recommend to others. To achieve that needs investment not cut backs. Stop seeing everything as a ‘cost’ and start looking ay ROI and the bigger picture. It is not all about the City Centre. We pay taxes too and need a thriving community (see social health and other govt objectives)
Without toilet facilities spread across the prom to service the very large tourist numbers that visit the prom/beach April-September, it will impact heavily on the appeal/footfall/revenue of Portobello. Additionally it’s fair to say Portobello can kiss goodbye to its blue flag accreditation. Without proper accessible toilets, I shudder to contemplate the level of hygiene you can look forward to next year.
There are few enough public toilets in Portobello to accommodate local residents and visitors. There are few big cafés or restaurants where toilets would be available for customers. Parents with children coming to use the beach and promenade would find it difficult to visit the place in the knowledge that they could not relieve themselves without going into either a pub or café. More unattended automatiic toilets should be provided. Removing these facilities would virtually make Portobello a ‘no go area’ for many!
As Portobello beach is a tourist destination that gets really busy in the summer, it makes no sense to make no public toilet provision for the thousands of extra people. The suggestion that they use local businesses instead is insulting and offensive, given the rates those same businesses have to pay, and the increased costs they would incur from people sneaking in to use their toilets when that is a public service that ought to be provided by the authority. It also will add to unsanitary conditions on the beach as some people will just use the beach as a toilet if no toilet is available. It penalises the people of Portobello more than other areas, as it ignores the fact that it is a tourist destination, and will increase the difficulties we already incur from that fact (increased litter, dog mess, noise etc).
The two beach toilets are absolutely essential. Just when the beach is getting into its stride this would encourage antisocial behaviour. I live on the promenade and recently had someone defecate in the front garden sometime during the previous evening. It was absolutely disgusting and to take theses toilets away would only compound the problem. Quite apart from that, the beach now attracts huge numbers of people and not just in the summer months. Where are theses people to go???
I think closure of any one of these public toilets will actively discourage visitors – (or even locals out for a walk). I know it will discourage me (as a 70 year old man who likes to be confident that ‘facilities’ are available) from walking any distance along the prom.
What a silly silly idea. What’s going to happen in the summer months when the beach is packed with tourists and locals? You can’t expect the local businesses to take the volume of people needing the toilet. It is the councils duty to provide such amenities.
Having clean, safe and accesible public toilets is vital for local residents and visitors at all times of the year. This is not optional but a necessity. I strongly object to the closure of all three toilets. Closure would stop visitors and damage trade ultimately. Why would people come for a day out if they can’t find a loo?
It’s completely ridiculous to close toilets in an area where there are so many visitors, especially in the 6 months between Easter and the October break. I live on the prom and I have found people using my front door as a urinal and Bath Place as a toilet. If there needs to be a cost, then so be it as the toilets need to be kept open for at least half of the year.
Last summer there was no way that we could have coped without the toilets. It was very busy. If they are not there it will put an enormous pressure on local businesses who don’t have the space or resources to provide public toilets for the large numbers who visit. There have been dirty nappies found on the beach anyway and this and an increase in people urinating on streets etc will just be a really poor reflection on a wonderful public resource. The toilets should be refurbished and if need be then payment introduced to cover the costs.
Given the number if visitors to the area, families, dog walkers, tourists it is essential we keep public toilet to provision. What would happen in Summer with a packed beach and no loos?! It would either place an unreasonable burden on local businesses or people will just go on the street (thinking folk who’ve had one two many with their beach BBQ). The toilets must be maintained as part of making Portobello an attractive destination for visitors AND a community responding to local needs.
As someone with a small child who uses the prom regularly I feel that it is ridiculous to have no public toilet provision on the prom. This area is so popular and used by so many that this idea just makes no sense. Understandably the cafe’s/pubs on the prom will not want people who are not customers to use their toilets, I feel that this will partly ruin the porty experience and we need to be generating more interest and not less.
It is very short sighted to close public loos. Portobello attracts a lot of people on summer days – what are they to do? If anything, all these toilets should be getting upgraded. although the ones at the Joppa end aren’t too bad. I know there is the suggestion that bars/restaurants make their toilets publicly available. This does work well in Perthshire so that is a possible solution as long as the traders as willing. But best in my opinion is to keep all the toilets open and upgrade them.
It is absolutely ridiculous that these toilets are recommended for closure! Perhaps in the winter months a couple could be closed but portobello businesses struggle as it is in the summer month with non customers using their toilets. If anything, money should be spent to refurbish them!
In the summer we have thousands of people on the beach, it would create a major public health hazard. Public toilets are an essential part of a visitor to Portobello’s experience. Do we want people to poo and pee on the beach? No thank you By all means only open them from Easter to the end of September, but please don’t close them in the summer.
I have family members with bladder and bowl conditions and therefor the toilets are necessary but would think that the automatic slot type would do as an alternative.
I object to the toilet closures I would like the council to think again.Potobello did have four public toilets they closed the ones at the bottom of Bellfeild Street after the Portobello baths renovation. The council should be spending there money on the basics education cleansing health transport (not the tram) and housing. When we get these right we can put money in to improved cycle ways , spending money trying to get a stage of major cycle race.Sorry went of on one back to public toilets could the council not generate money by advertising in side the toilets you a captive audience for a few minutes , the advertisers could fund the running of them. When the beach is busy my lane is used as a toilet. If the council have problems with there budget they should stop funding the festival the street party . I am told this generates millions of pounds for Edinburgh I thing they mean busness so may be they should take over the running of it.
Given how busy the prom and beach are in the fairer weather, I think it is ludicrous to even consider closing the public toilets that serve them. Being able to use the toilet whilst spending a morning, afternoon or day on the beach is essential not only for the visitors to Portobello but also for its residents. I’m sure that a lack of facilities would certainly discourage people from visiting the beach and prom.
I frequently visit Porty as a dog walker, a runner, with friends and family or as a shopper. At different times I have used all three conveniences and consider them essential. While out running I need a place either end of the prom, the same with long dog walks … I do believe that the closure will affect people’s ability to use the promenade and surrounding areas as a place to enhance health and well being. Without a public toilet to access some folk with urgent needs (pelvic floor, stress incontinence, irritable bladder, prostate issues etc etc) will feel that they have to curtail walks and outdoor socialising, dog walking.
I am sure this is a money saving ruse, but given the footfall on the prom/beach in all weathers and at all times of year, particularly parents with children, it would be nothing short of irresponsible to shut any of these facilities. I can foresee dirty nappies on the prom, children and some adults urinating in random locations, and living close to the beach, i fear for desperate people urinating in our courtyard. I can’t believe anyone would actually consider closing all the public toilets in what is essentially a tourist destination!
… This proposal has a discriminatory element to it. The elderly, pregnant women, children and the disabled all suffer toilet ’emergencies’. It’s inhumane to punish these people by making portobello beach a place they cannot access with dignity.