Consultation on City of Newcastle Council’s Inland Pools Strategy 2043 will soon begin, as the next step in Council’s work to enhance and project the city’s five public swimming pools over the next two decades.
Council said a comprehensive review had outlined a pathway forward for the important work.
The ‘Inland Pools Strategy 2043’ sets out an investment plan for Newcastle’s network of public swimming pools to ensure they are fit for purpose in the long term, while noting more than $5 million has been spent upgrading and $2 million maintaining our public pools over the past five years, said Lord Mayor, Nuatali Nelmes.
“City of Newcastle’s public swimming pools attract more than 300,000 visitors every year. Independent research shows public satisfaction with our pools is more than 80%, making them just as popular as the Newcastle Art Gallery and Museum,” she said.
“The draft Inland Pools Strategy 2043 shows how our network of five swimming centres service the community in their own unique way and sets a strategic direction for each, including upgrading Wallsend Swimming Centre as our population in the western suburbs increases.
“We’re now encouraging the community to have their say on the draft Strategy to help us shape how City of Newcastle protects and invests in its five public pools over the next 20 years.”
The draft Strategy proposes the creation of an Inland Pools Reserve Fund to ensure that funding is set aside annually to enhance the City’s five public pools over the next 20 years. The investigation has also found that the condition of the public pools will enable them to continue to operate without replacement until at least 2043.
From next week, Council will formally seek feedback from the community and key stakeholders, including a newly formed Inland Pools Community Network, that sought nominations from members of the public who regularly use Newcastle’s five publicly owned pools.
