Roxburgh may soon boast the first self-cleaning public toilets in Central Otago, as plans progress for a stainless steel-lined replacement amenity block.
The Central Otago District Council this week approved new toilet facilities catering for up to six people at a time, with construction starting in June.
The unisex toilets would be situated on the existing Scotland St site, with up to six separate cubicles in two blocks of three.
The long-term cost of running self-cleaning toilets was on par with conventional conveniences, CODC property manager Mike Kerr said.
The toilets would still have to be cleaned manually once a day.
Councillors gave CODC chief executive Phil Melhopt authority to finalise plans for the new toilet block on completion of a survey over summer to determine how many cubicles were needed.
That demand would set an overall cost for the project.
Six cubicles would cost about $420,000.
In the 2009-10 financial year, $600,000 has been allocated to upgrade Roxburgh and Cromwell public toilets.
