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Bondi residents are causing a stink over a lack of public toilets at the beachside skate park, with many relieving themselves in the parkland rather than searching for the facilities.
A development application for new public toilets near the skate park has been approved and funding has been allocated, but Waverley Council is yet to give a timeline for its construction.
Public urination in Bondi Park is a “regular, everyday occurrence”, according to Concrete Skate Supply co-owner Chris Vaughan.Credit: Edwina Pickles
Concrete Skate Supply co-owner Chris Vaughan said public urination in the park, situated between the beach and Campbell Parade, is a “regular, everyday occurrence”.
Vaughan said a lack of signage meant visitors were not aware of public toilets in the Bondi Pavilion and at the southern end of the beach.
“In other cases, the toilets are just too far away, especially so for the younger kids,” he said. “There’s been more than one occasion where kids have left the skate park for the toilets and been met with a long queue on arrival – they end up wetting themselves.”
Bondi Beach Precinct co-convenor Lenore Kulakauskas said local residents had complained to the council about public urination in the park multiple times. “You can often smell it when you walk past,” she said.
Waverley Council has approved a development application to upgrade Bondi skate park.Credit: Janie Barrett
A Waverley Council spokeswoman said toilets were available less than three minutes away, with other facilities at Bondi Pavilion and North Bondi.
“Waverley Council has not had complaints about public urination at the Bondi Skate Park and, to the contrary, our experience is that people care about the skate park and use the facility in a respectful manner,” she said.
But Liberal councillor Leon Goltsman said public urination was a recurring issue in Bondi’s less-lit, open areas, especially during late hours or early mornings when public facilities were closed.
“Addressing this requires strategic measures to deter such antisocial behaviours, including installing additional lights and surveillance cameras,” he said.
Goltsman said he did not know why new public toilets at the Bondi skate park had not been built despite the approval of a DA and funding for these facilities.
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