A MAJOR 20-year plan to spruce up the city's six pools has been given the go-ahead, with a few significant changes.
While a $15 million Speers Point Swim Centre will still be the jewel in the crown of Lake Macquarie City Council's watering holes, a public push for better facilities in Swansea has seen a new indoor learn to swim pool, car park and splash pad made a high priority.
West Wallsend will now get a new water play area and councillors have pushed through a move to provide year-round access to indoor pools at Speers Point, Swansea and Morisset.
Deputy mayor Adam Shultz said Swansea residents have been beating the drum for upgrades for a long time.
"Out of the 86 submissions we received as part of this round, 28 or 1/3 came from people residing in Swansea," he said.
"I think 'persistence' and 'patience' are probably two words that encapsulate my feelings about what we've got in front of us at the moment.
"I look at this and I see us prioritising equity and access, which is really important."
The council owns six pools at Charlestown, Swansea, Speers Point, Toronto, Morisset and West Wallsend.
Four of those have ageing infrastructure that will need intervention in the next two decades.
According to the council's own report, there isn't one pool in the city that offers the range and standard of facilities to be considered fully contemporary; including food, beverage and retail, accessibility, adventure play to attract a younger market and swim walls.
The plan categorises pools into high, medium and low priority - high priority items like a business case for Speers Point, a detailed design for a new indoor pool and water play at West Wallsend and planning for the expansion of Morisset and Swansea will start in the next five years.
Cr Jason Pauling voted against the strategy, saying he had been "uncomfortable" with large parts of it.
"I don't think anything brings out parochialism better than public pools facilities and that's been part of the challenge we've had," he said.
"We've tried to balance aspirations against sustainability pillars, we've tried to balance equity, access and a whole range of unknown outside party impacts that may or may not come into this.
"I'm not yet sold on the outcome we have, I think it certainly is a compromise."
In its plans, the council took into account the potential for a water play zone at the Cedar Mill development, which will turn Morisset Golf Course into a family, tourism, lifestyle and event centre.
It also acknowledged plans for a new sport and recreation centre on the Morisset peninsula and the development of the Hunter Sports and Entertainment Precinct at Broadmeadow, weighing up the need for newer facilities at Morisset if they were to be provided by surrounding venues.
Cr Brian Adamthwaite said it's been almost a year since the first time councillors saw the proposal and he was impressed with how far it had come.
"I think the fact that it is a 20-year plan, looking long-term into the future, the concept of building in flexibility is a bonus in that over 20 years we can't be exactly certain what's going to happen," he said.
"If state governments do certain things, if federal governments provide certain monies, if communities change in some ways, we need to be adaptable and flexible to meet those challenges."
To view the strategy, visit the council's website.
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