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 has lodged an appeal with An Coimisiún Pleanála (formerly An Bord Pleanála) to the decision of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to grant planning permission to Dublin Bus for the "prefabricated drivers' welfare facility" adjacent to a bus stop on Brehon Field Road, Ballinteer, Dublin 16.
The group has expressed concern that the toilet would become "a magnet for graffiti and anti-social behaviour".
The self-cleansing unisex toilet, which occupies an area of approximately 7.13m², is due to be located adjacent to a wall that separates Brehon Field Road from the Kingston estate.
The residents' association, which represents approximately 270 households, claims the proposed toilet must be firmly rejected on aesthetic grounds.
"The residents are shocked and dismayed at the thought of a big ugly box in an architecturally sensitive location at the entrance to our estate," said the group’s chairperson, Ian Duckenfield.
He 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".
Mr Duckenfield said Kingston was an estate which took pride in its appearance and passers-by on Brehon Field Road would see the effort that had been put into landscaping at its entrance.
Kingston Residents' Association also noted that long distance buses have toilets on board and it believed the 16 route from its terminus in Ballinteer to Dublin Airport was "clearly long distance".
The group said it fully appreciates that bus drivers must have proper welfare facilities but stressed that it must not be "at the expense of residents".
It also claimed utility connections in terms of sewage and electricity 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.
One opponent said the proposed location of the toilet was inappropriate and "made no sense" as well as describing it as "an eyesore".
Another resident claimed the toilet would "undoubtedly attract antisocial behaviour" and "be used as a drop-off point for drugs".
Dublin Bus had originally proposed that the toilet would be located further east on the same side of Brehon Field Road.
However, planners with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council asked the company to review the location of the proposed toilet in light of concerns raised by officials about its impact on the tree line and landscaping.
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 space constraints 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".
"The closeness to the existing bus shelter contributes to reduce the visual impact notably," it added.
The company observed there was a pedestrian crossing 50 metres from the bus stops which provided a perfect connection to the bus terminus.
Dublin Bus said the provision of such infrastructure was not only for operational needs, but was also to ensure compliance with human rights to dignity, health, sanitation and clean water.
It claimed the installation of self-cleaning, standalone toilets has been assessed as the most sensible option where no other approach was feasible.
The company said a failure to deliver welfare facilities for drivers would have an evident negative impact on a group of people who provide an essential public service.
"Even more concerning is the likelihood that users might face the ultimate consequences of such delivery failure in the form of unforeseen service interruptions or routes suspension, in the worst-case scenario," Dublin Bus said.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said a welfare facility for public transport staff may be permitted where a planning authority is satisfied that the development would be compatible with the overall policies and objectives for the area and would not have undesirable effects.
The local authority stressed that the facility in Ballinteer would not be a publicly accessible toilet.
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.
The NTA said the provision of appropriate bus driver welfare facilities at termini was a key consideration and it considered the locations chosen by Dublin Bus as "suitable and appropriate".
It is understood that the procurement and planning permission for 10-15 toilets at bus termini are being finalised by Dublin Bus with other proposed locations including Limekiln, Swords, Seán Moore Road, Ballycullen, Tallaght and Citywest.
The company has already had its planning application to install a toilet for bus drivers at Ballywaltrim Lane in Bray refused by Wicklow County Council.
