Orkney councillors have agreed plans to deal with issues caused by a lack of toilets at the world-famous Ring of Brodgar.
It was decided this week that permanent loos should be built at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
However, it will be 2027 at the earliest by the time they are ready to be used, according to a report.
So, in the meantime, signs should be put in place to guide visitors to the other nearest toilets in the area.
Monthly cleaning of the site’s car park will also take place over the summer months, from May to September, for the next three years under the agreed plans.
The issues caused by the lack of toilets were debated by councillors towards the end of last year.
It was unanimously agreed something needs to be done.
Reports had been coming in of visitors using the nearby loch-side or road verge due to the lack of facilities.
Plans stalled after funding disagreement with HES
However, with plans to build temporary seasonal toilets estimated to cost £95,000, Orkney councillors were unhappy with a £4,000 offer from Historic Environment Scotland (HES), which is responsible for the site, to help cover the costs.
Councillors dubbed the offer “shameful.”
As such, they decided it was better to go back to the drawing board.
At this week’s committee meeting, councillors viewed a report which set out three new options.
They chose Option 3, which would see permanent toilets put in place at a cost of £60,000.
The report notes that the cost would be shared by the council and HES.
However, this is likely to take three years, according to officers.
Why will it take at least three years to build toilets at the Ring of Brodgar?
This lengthy time scale is due to the “complexity” of the project.
The process will require a feasibility study to be done and a building warrant and planning permission given.
The next report on the toilets will be due in November this year.
Councillors also agreed that the car park will be cleaned monthly and there would also be new signs directing visitors to the nearest toilets.
These measures are thought to cost around £1,000 per year for the cleaning and £4,000 too install the new signage.
While councillors unanimously agreed on the recommendations, councillor Owen Tierney asked why a temporary, portable toilet couldn’t be put in place.
Temporary toilets for Brodgar?
He was told that to have anything at the site for more than 28 days, the full planning permission and building warrant would still be needed, as would surveys.
The council’s head of enterprise and economic growth Sweyn Johnston said; “You couldn’t imagine a more restrictive site, in terms of trying to put anything in there.”
Councillor Duncan Tullock spoke in favour of the plans for permanent toilets at Brodgar.
He compared the need to train the public to toilet training his puppy.
‘We need to train the public’ says councillor Tullock
Mr Tullock also said: “It’s against the law to defecate in public.
“If we give them the information there is a toilet two miles away and another one three miles away, we’ve got coach drivers who can say it’s the last stop for the next hour, it’s not insurmountable.
“We’ve got to train the public not to defecate where there are no facilities. It’s as simple as that.”
The plans will now go on to full council to be ratified.
Conversation