Cambuslang Community Council call for toilets in the town

Nov 25 2009 by Kenny Smith, Rutherglen Reformer

CAMBUSLANG Community Council are calling on the local authority to place portable toilets in the town during the festive period.

Over the last couple of years, the community council have been repeatedly appealing to the local authority to replace the toilets that were removed from the town during the latest revamp of the precinct.

Their appeals have fallen on deaf ears, as locals can only use the toilets in the Cambuslang Gate building during its opening hours, but now they hope South Lanarkshire will consider a temporary measure in the run-up to Christmas and the New Year.

At last month’s meeting, the community councillors discussed the fact that portable toilets were placed in Hamilton to help revellers who had been caught short.

Chairman Jack Taylor said: “Given that there are no public toilets open in Cambuslang after the offices in Cambuslang Gate have closed, the council should consider Portaloos over the Christmas period”

A South Lanarkshire Council spokesman said: “The 2007 Hamilton event was a Safer Streets initiative which took place over Christmas and New Year, organised by Strathclyde Police as part of the South Lanarkshire Community Safety Partnership following an award of £40,000 from the Scottish Government’s ‘Safer Scotland’ initiative.

“This included the provision of four Portaloos in a key town centre location, organised by the police.

“The safety initiative was supported by the council, who are members of the Community Safety Partnership with Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and NHS Lanarkshire and Greater Glasgow.”

At their meeting last month, the community council members were told that a sign would be sited on the Main Street outside Cambuslang Gate, where a convenience which can be used by the public is located.

Mr Taylor last month said: “We have had a look at the sign but I’ve had a complaint about it from community councillor Bob Rooney as he feels that the signage is pointing in the wrong direction – it seems to be pointing to the third story of the Cambuslang Gate building!

“It’s also been attached to the CCTV camera pole, which is ridiculous given that there’s other proper signage poles nearby.”

Councillor David Baillie took the matter forward on behalf of the community council, and South Lanarkshire Council put up a new sign .