A well-known sex hotspot for men – the Lake Monger toilet block – is set to be demolished by the Town of Cambridge because of ongoing concerns about anti-social behaviour and "beat activity".
The Dodd Street toilets have been the subject of anti-social behaviour for years, but a number of strategies - including closing them, putting locks on the toilets and cutting back nearby shrubbery - had all failed.
Cambridge council even spent $60,000 on lights at the toilet block in May last year in an attempt to try and deter anti-social behaviour and "inappropriate sexual activities".
Now the town has had enough and a committee meeting this week voted to have the dunnies bulldozed and a new one built near a playground at the Dodd and Gregory street end.
A council report said the toilet block had been subject to anti-social behaviour and vandalism for years as well as being used for "Beat activity".
"The term 'Beat' is defined as a place (e.g. public toilets, parks and beaches) frequented by males with the intention of making contact with other males for social or sexual purposes," the report said.
"Beat environments also attract crime against the immediate local community, such as car break-ins, theft and assault."
The Three Schools Safety Committee – made up of members from the Lake Monger Primary, Telethon Speech and Hearing, and Bold Park Community School – previously sent letters to the council, former Police Minister Liza Harvey and ex-Education Minister Peter Collier, venting their concern about the crime, anti-social behaviour and "inappropriate sexual activities" around the toilet block.
"Each school has dealt with much criminal activity within the area which has included numerous break-ins into all three premises, vehicles on Dodd Street, syringes on school premises, inappropriate sexual activities in and around the toilet block as well as children being approached by adults through the gates of the schools," the letter read.
"Wembley Police have indicated Dodd Street is frequent for crime and as a result officers carry out three patrols in Dodd Street, each shift, continually. Even with frequent patrols taking place, Dodd Street is still a hotspot for criminal activities."
A local resident who regularly jogs around Lake Monger told WAtoday last year he had been "propositioned" by men at the toilets.
"I did one lap around Lake Monger and was feeling pretty good, so I set off on another lap," he said.
"I got three-quarters through and gave up and headed to the toilets.
"While there I got approached by three men, including one who just grabbed my gonads.
"I managed to run home after that."
A website for "gay cruises and hook-ups" lists the Lake Monger toilet as a place for men to meet for sex.
"The toilet can get busy during the day, just be careful as it is also a family spot," it says.
"Night time is the cruisiest time. Guys cruise the pathway by the lake, in between the trees and wait in the bushes. There is also a lookout close by where guys walk to and sit and wait."