Lake Wendouree underground public toilet to be demolished

The City of Ballarat Council voted to demolish the circa 1960s-built Lake Wendouree underground public toilet at its meeting this week. 

The underground public toilet was closed in June 2021 due to ongoing maintenance, community safety, compliance and accessibility issues. 

An asset condition and defect report conducted in April 2021 suggested the overall condition of the toilet facility building was ‘poor’. The facility was also found not to meet the needs of everyone in the community while a risk assessment identified that the risk controls for slips and falls, public health and safety, and access were ineffective. 

The cost of the demolition works will be included in the draft 2023/2024 budget. The City of Ballarat will work through a pre-application process to determine if a permit from Heritage Victoria is required for the works.  

A decision on whether a replacement public toilet will be constructed at the lake will be informed by the City of Ballarat’s new Public Toilet Strategy which is currently in development.  

The Public Toilet Strategy will provide a detailed analysis of existing toilet provision and condition, including location, usage levels, access and wayfinding, safety, overall condition, management and maintenance regimes. 

It will also identify and respond to future public toilet facility needs for open space, recreation and community use for residents and visitors. 

The community will be invited to provide feedback to inform the draft strategy, which is expected to be presented to Council for consideration in July. 

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson said public toilets are essential to our community infrastructure, with the City of Ballarat managing 56 public toilets across the municipality. 

“The underground public toilet at Lake Wendouree is well past its use-by date and is no longer fit for purpose,” he said. 

“With the demolition of this public toilet, we will soon look to explore what other facilities the community may require in this area as part of the Public Toilet Strategy.” 

The City of Ballarat will now work to ensure all permit and approval documentation is in place to enable the demolition to proceed in the 2023/2024 financial year. 

The Public Toilet Strategy will consider availability of public toilets to support our diverse community, including but not limited to families with children, older people, people with disability and people from LGBTIQA+ communities. 

The strategy will replace the existing Public Toilet Planning Framework 2015 and Draft Public Toilet Plan 2021 and aligns with the City of Ballarat Council Plan 2021-2025 Goal 4 - ‘A city that conserves and enhances our natural and built assets’.