Community
3 July, 2024
Arty-farty loos at Tanks
NEW toilets totalling $1.8 million are to be built at the Tanks Arts Centre to provide more relief for patient patrons at the Edge Hill venue.
The current toilet block at Tank 5, which serves the entire complex, will include nine women’s stalls and four men’s urinals on one side as well as four more women’s stalls and five urinals on the other side. Disabled facilities are included in both amenities.
Tank 3 is to get a new toilet block consisting of four urinals and stalls in the men’s section and seven women’s stalls plus a disabled toilet in each.
A Cairns Regional Council report said the Tanks Arts Centre had been identified as an A-class facility in the council’s public toilet strategy, “so this project aims to provide visitors and guests with quality, modern amenities that complement the heritage aspects of this iconic performance and visual arts space”.
“The existing toilets at Tank 5 currently serve the entire precinct. With the increase in patrons over the years, the number of toilets at the Tanks Art Centre needs to be increased,” it said.
“The existing toilets are 20-years-old and need to be replaced with ones that will comply with the current amenities standards and provide adequate numbers for the site.
“It is proposed to replace the existing amenities block at Tank 5 with a new compliant one, which will also increase the number of female and male toilets, and construct a new amenities block at Tank 3, adding toilet facilities to better serve the patrons of tanks 3 and 4.
“The amenities at Tank 5, which are currently used by patrons serving all three tanks, are located at a significant distance from Tank 3, Tank 4, and the promenade. “Replacing the existing facility with additional female and male toilets and constructing a new facility at Tank 3 will increase the precinct’s ability to handle the increased demand at the site and provide quality amenities.”
The $1.4 million construction contract was awarded to MyBuild Solutions which has until the end of July next year to complete the work.
Cr Anna Middleton, whose Division 7 includes the Tanks Arts Centre, said the current toilets could not cope with the number of people who visited the centre.
She said quite often there was “a long line-up” of people waiting to use the current toilets.
