A Dubbo toilet block has garnered national media attention and left locals furious. The "revolutionary" Lions Park West toilet block opened in September to a flurry of media attention for being the first council asset in the country to be 3D printed. But with cracking concrete, sinks adrift from the wall and concerns over public safety, some locals are questioning whether the community got the best bang for their buck. "It remains to be seen whether this 3D-printed toilet block will stand the test of time," Dubbo councillor Josh Black said. "We knew 3D printing is experimental, but it appears that it's even more experimental than we realised and maybe that's not the greatest thing for a public toilet that might get reasonably high use." According to construction company Contour3D, the benefits of 3D printing include faster construction, lower labour costs, minimised waste and flexibility of design. The $322,041 loo Lions Park West block took Contour3D 25 hours to print. But, even on the day of opening cracks could be seen in the concrete. "What you are seeing behind us here is something that's revolutionary across the nation, no matter what level of government," mayor Mathew Dickerson said at the time of opening. "The technology was absolutely fascinating, they set up the gantry one weekend and a few days later they finished printing." In a speech to parliament to mark International Toilet Day on November 21, upper house member Stephen Lawrence slammed both the costly construction process and the design of the toilets. "I can say from my time as a councillor and vice-president of the Local Government Association, if no other council in Australia is doing something there is probably sound reason for that," he said. He said one of the things he was most proud of from his time on Dubbo council was the construction of the toilets at the Church Street Rotunda. "That loo... is a monument to real and practical inclusion, equality and accessibility and meeting the public health and sanitation needs of the community," he said. "They are a world away from the old-style, gender-segregated toilet block that so many people enter with trepidation knowing much antisocial activity might be taking place inside a small, confined and shared space." The Church Street toilets are equipped with full adult change facilities and are built in a style which is fast becoming standard across the globe - single use cubicles accessible from public space. This design means people can see into the whole cubicle before they enter and makes it easier for parents to accompany young children. Similar toilet blocks have been built by council at Cameron Park in Wellington, Elston Park, Lady Cutler Oval and Kennard Park. "The single individual cubicles, not the old style with a common entrance where you have to walk in around the corner, is the best practice pretty much everywhere," Cr Black said. "This old style toilet block at Lions Park West seems to really be out of step with what pretty much every other council in Australia the nation is doing." Mr Lawrence told parliament that at the time the Church Street toilets were built, council staff informed him they had "completely moved away from" old-style male and female toilet blocks. "I can certainly say as a parent I know what sort of toilet the community wants available for their children: the single use cubicle you enter from a public space," he said. "I am concerned that council would reverse its public toilet construction policy in that way and construct an old fashioned, less safe, less inclusive and less accessible toilet block using a technology no other council in Australia is using." Ahead of the next council meeting on Thursday, December 14, Cr Black has submitted questions on notice asking whether consideration was given to a design that incorporated separate, individual cubicles for the Lions Park toilet block. He also asked whether the preferred design for the new toilet block slated for Victoria Park would be built to the modern standard. Cr Dickerson has been contacted for comment.