Why do we need a Public Toilet Strategy?

    Wollongong City Council is committed to creating a liveable city that provides a high quality experience for its residents and visitors. This experience is supported by providing public toilets that are well located, safe, clean, easy to find and accessible to the community.

    This essential service promotes health and well-being and makes a practical difference to people actively enjoying our community facilities and outdoor spaces such as foreshore reserve areas, parks and playgrounds.

    With the Wollongong population changing and growing, this strategy has been developed to ensure public toilets address current and future need.

    This strategy will contribute to meeting Our Wollongong 2028 Community Strategic Plan goal ‘we are a healthy community in a liveable city’ by providing public toilets in key locations that are maintained, accessible and inviting to the community and visitors.

    The strategy provides a strategic framework in the provision of public toilets across the Council area and assists with delivering effective and co-ordinated public toilet provision for the next 10 years.


    What are the key principles of the Strategy?

    The community has told us the following principles are important:

    Principle 1: Availability and Distribution of Public Toilets

    Public toilets are equitably distributed and strategically located through upgrade, provision of new amenities and decommissioning.

    Principle 2: Safe and Well Designed Public Toilets

    The replacement, upgrade and provision of toilet facilities incorporate Crime Prevention through Environmental Design and Environmental Sustainability Design principles.

    Principle 3: Inclusive Access of Public Toilets

    Public toilets are accessible and consider the need of different ages, abilities
    and cultures.

    Principle 4: Public Toilet Signage and Information

    Consistent signage and information on public toilet availability and location is promoted and accessible to the community.

    Principle 5: Cleaning and Maintaining Public Toilets

    Public toilets are cleaned and maintained to defined service levels.

    How many public toilets are there currently in Wollongong?

    There are 104 Council owned public toilet facilities, managed by either Council or a third party, available for community use.  A map showing the location of the current toilets appears on page 3 of the Draft Strategy.  A copy of the Strategy appears in the Document Library on this page.


    How often are public toilets cleaned?

    Toilets are cleaned and maintained on different schedules.  Some are daily or weekly, and some are self-cleaning.  How often public toilets are cleaned depends on how often they are used and whether they are located in busy or quieter public spaces. 

    What will happen after comments close on the Draft Strategy?

    All community feedback will be reviewed before a report is prepared for the Councillors to consider.  Once the Strategy is adopted by Council, the actions in this Strategy will become part of our Delivery Program and Annual Plan and will help to deliver Wollongong’s Community Strategic Plan.

    A detailed Implementation Plan that includes time-frames, priorities, resources and responsibilities will be developed to help with the delivery of the Strategy.

    Measures have been developed to record our progress towards delivering this Strategy. Data will be collected throughout the implementation of the Strategy.

    Council’s progress towards delivering this Strategy will be reported in Council’s annual reporting processes.

    The Strategy will be used to help Council make decisions:

    • Actions that need funding will be considered as part of Council’s annual budget planning process.

    • Actions that do not cost additional money to deliver will be included in Council’s Annual Plan and Delivery Program.

    • Council may apply for external funding to help deliver actions in this Strategy.