Paremata loos raise murmurs

BY KRIS DANDO

The old-fashioned toilet block next to Paremata Bridge will be a goner this year, but there have been murmurings of discontent about the new design.

Two years ago Porirua City councillors resolved to replace the older-style toilet blocks in Mungavin, Onepoto and at Paremata, at a cost of about $600,000. Although the other sites have been completed, the Paremata block has courted some controversy over the style and where it should be sited.

Council officers have presented a design that sees a new building made from a combination of concrete (for the two toilets) and a timber-framed Linea Weatherboard construction for the rear, which contains two changing rooms and showers on the outside.

Some Northern Ward councillors were concerned the new block was not of high-enough standard for a spot more than 30,000 vehicles pass daily, and is popular with beach-goers during summer.

Councillor Nick Leggett says with the budget they have, a compromise has been reached, and the "strong message" councillors received to remove the block has been achieved.

"It's a popular beach and a gateway to the city, so there was definitely a feeling there should be something special here. In the end, what we have is what we can afford, it's not a 'tin shed' as some have described it, and you do get that horrible existing block off the edge of the beach. We're opening up this amazing view  it's a permanent solution that I think will be superb," he says.

The current toilet is known for "anti-social activity" but the new building will be a much safer facility, Mr Leggett says. It is likely to be built in the next few months.

- Kapi-Mana News