As visitor numbers start to decline, the portaloo that we hired for the North Harris Eagle Observatory car park has been removed. The loo was installed at the request of locals that were seeing an increase in toileting around the Observatory. The self-contained loo has been well-used and has required emptying every 2 weeks.
The total cost of providing this facility for July and August was £1183. There has been no corresponding increase in donations in the adjacent post. The donation box at the Observatory was broken into earlier in the summer. Even taking this into consideration, donations are down 20% on last year at the Meavaig post. This un-budgeted hire fee will be met by the Trust, from its core funds.
This was a temporary solution, that has demonstrated a need for additional toilet facilities. With the huge capital cost for constructing anything new, the ongoing operational costs and what appears to be an expectation that facilities like these should be free – it is unlikely you will see anything more than temporary facilities in the near future. We will however seek feedback from the community as part of the regular consultations.
