Paddington Locals Upset Over “Fugly” Public Toilet

Paddington Locals Upset Over “Fugly” Public Toilet
Image: Artist’s impression of the planned automated public toilet at Hyde Park (City of Sydney)

Paddington residents are voicing their displeasure at a new public toilet installed on Oxford Street last week.

Sitting on the corner of a car park between Mitre 10 and  Telstra communications building, the toilet was installed to dissuade sports fans from the nearby Allianz Stadium from urinating on the streets.

Locals aren’t happy with the City of Sydney though, with one woman telling the Sydney Morning Herald that it was an “abomination”.

“You can put it in Blacktown or something, but not in Paddington,” Local woman Mary Langley said. “It’s just an eyesore … If you’re going to design something for Paddington, surely you’d design something more sensitive.”

Member for McMahon Chris Bowen took to social media to call out the locals’ snobbery.

“Blacktown isn’t a derogatory term. It’s a vibrant, exciting community that I’m proud to represent,” he said.

“Sydney is one city. We don’t need you running down the million people who live in Western Sydney.”

Concern for anti-social behaviour

Residents are also concerned about the possibility of attracting drug users.

The council say the toilet will be cleaned twice a day, has automated self-cleaning mechanisms, and has a door that will open automatically after 15 minutes, limiting anti-social behaviour.

“The site selected was strategically well-placed and facilitated convenient access for pedestrians, cyclists and people with disability,” said a council spokesperson. “We always balance the need for these facilities against any community concerns.”

The City of Sydney identified the need for a toilet in the area in 2014, as part of a plan to provide toilets within 400 metres of any point within the CBD, and in all village centres and major parks.

A development application to erect one in the current spot was lodged in 2018, but a former councillor on South Sydney Council led a petition against the design when the application was submitted, saying it didn’t fit the look of nearby buildings.

2 responses to “Paddington Locals Upset Over “Fugly” Public Toilet”

  1. I am appalled at the racist statement from Mary Langley. One would have thought that in 2025 residents from any suburb in Australia would have known better than to stigmatise a suburb only because they don’t want some public services in their suburb. The photograph shows that the toilet is not on the main road but well tucked within the park. I don’t know what the whinging is all about. When I lived in Paddington, I mainly found progressive people respectful of Australian diversity.

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