By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
CANNONS Creek beach goers who need to ‘spend a penny’ may be in luck when the warm weather rolls around next summer.
But it will take a few pennies and signatures of approval to get this loo up and running.
Councillor Geoff Ablett was recently alerted to the unhygienic problem, where busting visitors to The Bluff, near the Cannons Creek jetty, have been relieving themselves in scrub land.
“The closest toilet is quite some distance from where people are going on the shore and it’s an inconvenience and a long walk,” Cr Ablett said.
“There’s more people living there and they’ve discovered a sandy beach, which is shallow for kids and a nice spot for a picnic but there’s no toilet nearby, if there was one it would be ideal.”
A member of the Cannons Creek Foreshore Committee of Management (CCFCM), who wishes to go unnamed, said the nearest toilet is about 400 metres away from the popular spot.
“Cannons Creek has only one public toilet, attached to the Community Place and you must get the key from the General Store across the road to open it,” they said.
“This beach is the only one for many kilometres around Lang Lang to beyond Hastings.”
Delighted at the growth of the area, Cr Ablett wants to see a solution as soon as possible, even suggesting a temporary fix.
“I’m working with appropriate council officers to see how we can go about getting something done,” Cr Ablett said.
“I will be pushing hard to get a basic toilet even if it’s a hire one until one gets investigated and factored into the budget.”
The foreshore committee member advised Star News that going in the bushes is a “health and pollution issue”.
“People are forced to use the waters of Rutherford Inlet or the nearby bush, and the waters of Rutherford Inlet run into Western Port,” they said.
Adding to that, Cannons Creek is an area under RAMSAR conservation, and people fish from the jetty and beach all year round.
The issue was raised as urgent business by Cr Ablett at a Casey Council meeting on Tuesday 19 January and council resolved to seek State and/or Federal Government funding to build the toilet if council officers see the need for a toilet.
And if government funding is refused, the Casey Council will review the costs in its budget deliberations.
