QLDC admits defeat and says it will fix Earnslaw Park toilets

After six rounds of interim repairs in the last year, Queenstown's Earnslaw Park toilets will be finally be getting a proper fix.

However, the Queenstown Lakes District Council says this volume of damage is normal for a public toilet facility in a very busy location.  

The doors, and locks have been frequently broken since Crux started reporting on them in December 2022, however a spokesperson for the Queenstown Lakes District Council says these issues are the result of normal wear and tear, and occasional misuse and vandalism. 

A spokesperson for the Queenstown Lakes District Council told Crux today the Earnslaw Park toilets will also be getting new doors and locks "in the coming months".

At this stage there is no confirmed install date or total budget for the 10-cubicle block of toilets located near the Lakefront in Earnslaw Park.

The council says decisions on maintenance, repairs and upgrades to Council-managed public toilets around the district are made as and when required in line with available budget.

"Our overall aim is to maintain the level of service expected by our residents and visitors."

Currently, the toilets have a a missing lock replaced with wire, a smashed mirror and a number of the toilet doors also have temporary plywood replacement doors (see main image).

The QLDC spokesperson says the ad-hoc lock will be fixed by the council team as soon as possible. 

"Our Parks team deal with issues like this at similar Council-managed facilities across the district on a regular basis and have a specific annual budget for maintenance and repairs," the spokesperson says. 

Crux is also aware that the council received a quote to replace the toilet doors at the start of 2022, but chose not to go ahead with it. The monetary figure provided in the quote has not been disclosed to Crux.

The block was built in 2013 at a cost of $580,000.  

The poor state of the toilets have been a frequent focus of complaints from  Crux readers, as we have received photos and complaints aabouut the state of  the toilets in December 2022, and last year in January, March, August and most recently in December 2023.

In December, the reader reporter that some of the stalls were unclean, two toilet doors were broken, and another stall had a broken toilet seat. She told Crux she felt embarrassed by the state of the facilities.  

"Our Parks team deal with issues like this at similar Council-managed facilities across the district on a regular basis and have a specific annual budget for maintenance and repairs," the spokesperson says. 

The ad-hoc lock will be fixed by the council team as soon as possible, the spokesperson says.

The council says decisions on maintenance, repairs and upgrades to Council-managed public toilets around the district are made as and when required in line with available budget. Our overall aim is to maintain the level of service expected by our residents and visitors.

One of the toilets at the Frankton Bus Shelter will be replaced. 

In December, a Crux reader has also passed on that the toilets by the Frankton Bus Shelter were in a state of disarray with one door missing, and the lock broken on another. 

The reply from QLDC on December 20 stated that all doors, locks and toilets at this Frankton block were fully operational when last checked on December 19.