NEWCASTLE lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes says a 20-year plan to upgrade the city's five pools marks the first time the council has "actually dealt with the assets properly".
The public weighed in with mostly positive reviews on City of Newcastle's (CN) Inland Pools Strategy 2043, pushing for longer seasons, year-round facilities, better disabled access and heated pools.
At a briefing on Tuesday, Cr Nelmes said a lot of time and effort had gone into the plan after the council inherited "decades of maintenance backlogs" from councils that "don't make decisions".
"What's been hard in the pool space the last couple of years is the absence of a long-term strategy based on an evidence-based approach and previous councils refusing to deal with this issue," she said.
"It would have been done sooner but COVID did get in the way of our service delivery for a few years.
"I know in the feedback I have been getting from the community it has been mostly positive knowing council has a clear plan to not only maintain these pools, but invest in them."
Feedback from community consultation showed out of 124 submissions, 47 per cent of people had a positive reaction to the strategy, 43 per cent were neutral and 10 per cent were negative.
The plan covers the council's five inland pools at Lambton, Wallsend, Mayfield, Stockton and Beresfield, which have an average age of 53 years.
A review of the pools outlined what's required to maintain and renew them while also meeting the changing needs of the community.
Lambton is pegged to be the jewel in the crown, unless the state government commits to building an aquatic facility at the Hunter Sports and Entertainment Precinct, Hunter Park, at Broadmeadow.
Under the plan, a $6 million indoor heated multi-purpose pool with a platform lift could be installed at Lambton and the toddlers pool replaced with a leisure and water play area with zones for different ages.
A new platform lift could also be installed at the existing 50m pool along with a new entry foyer, cafe, lounge, and redeveloped change rooms with disability access.
Cr John Church said he felt the plan hinged on an aquatic facility being built at Hunter Park.
"There doesn't appear to be the commitment for anyone to do that, there's no business plan, no site, no funding, no planning, and it could be a long time until we see an aquatic centre in Hunter Park," he said.
"In 20 years we could have built one without wondering about others."
Cr Nelmes argued the strategy isn't based around Hunter Park, and said the kind of financial commitment needed to get that project off the ground was "absolutely beyond local government".
The strategy will be reviewed within seven years, which chief executive Jeremy Bath said would hold the council to account.
"It's not every strategy we send to every single resident in the local government area, but we recognise how important our inland pools are to our community and councillors, and for that reason we felt it was critical we reached out to everyone," he said.
"Typically the rule of engagement is that if people are looking at it and not following through with a formal submission, they are comfortable with what they are seeing."
A number of councillors raised better disability access as a priority, arguing that even if a platform was installed at Wallsend pool - the lack of accessible toilets would remain a roadblock for people with disabilities.
The plan acknowledged that none of the city's 50m pools support contemporary accessibility with lifts or ramps or program flexibility with swim walls or a moveable boom.
The council has spent more than $5.4 million across its five pools in the last seven years.
In the past four years, state and federal governments have invested $630 million to upgrade public pools - none of which are in Newcastle, according to the council.
It's expected the council will vote on the draft strategy at its next meeting.
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