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Last modified: 08 Aug 2022 10:06am

Toilet location bike

Visitors to several popular Selwyn locations will enjoy a more comfortable experience after the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment approved funding for toilet and car park upgrades.

Nearly $300,000 has been granted from MBIE’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund for new or upgraded toilets at the Darfield Grain Shed, Waimakariri Gorge and the Little River Rail Trail, and car park improvements at Joyce Reserve in Glentunnel, and at Lake Lyndon Reserve.

The existing old concrete toilet block at the Grain Shed, beside the historic jail site in Darfield, will be demolished and a new block installed.

At Waimakariri Gorge the existing facility will also be replaced with a new one, and the location will be moved closer to the road access.

On the Little River Rail Trail a brand new toilet block will be built about midway between Lincoln and Motukarara, close to the Ahuriri Lagoon.

Council Community Projects manager Cam Warr says this facility will be a welcome addition for cyclists, who otherwise face a 15 kilometre stretch between the two settlements.

The rest stop car parks at Joyce Reserve and Lake Lyndon Reserve will be sealed.

In Darfield, the township committee has supported the toilet upgrade at the Grain Shed site, which is well used by the local community and visitors to the historic Darfield Jail.

Cam says the TIF funding has made a big difference to visitor facilities around the district in recent years. “It has been really valuable in allowing us to improve and enhance the experience of travellers and tourists exploring our district,” he says.

“It’s amazing how much we have managed to achieve with this fund – either bringing forward projects to upgrade assets earlier or putting place new assets we would otherwise have struggled to fund.”

Previous TIF projects have included campground and toilet upgrades at locations including Lakeside Domain, Coes Ford, Lake Coleridge, Hororata Domain and Springston.