ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A city on Britain's south coast plans to phase out all male and female lavatories and replace them with 'gender neutral' toilets.

The project will begin with the installation of four new 'gender neutral' toilets at Rottingdean seafront near Brighton, East Sussex. Councillors have claimed that single-sex lavatories will gradually be phased out in Brighton.

The aim of the move is to cater for transgender people according to local reports. The proposal was suggested following a council survey into the lives of transsexual residents.

The facilities will avoid using the words 'men' and 'ladies', instead using symbols depicting a man, woman and child to indicate they can be used by people of any sex. A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: "When producing signs for public toilets in the city we use standard images rather than words. This is particularly beneficial to the many tourists from overseas visiting our city."

But local councillor Lynda Hyde described the plans as "unnecessary bureaucracy". "Local residents, particularly women with children, would much prefer to use separate facilities since apart from anything else, it is safer," she said.

The initial installation of four gender neutral toilets and a café on Rottingdean seafront is part of a 162,000 euros refurbishment scheme for the area. Brighton has a gay, lesbian and transgender population of approximately 40,000.