Plans lodged: JUMP! Swim School proposed for South Geelong warehouse

An empty warehouse in South Geelong could become the city’s latest swim school, according to plans lodged with the City of Greater Geelong.

An empty South Geelong warehouse, pictured, could become home to Geelong’s newest swim school. Picture: planning documents.

An empty warehouse could be home to Geelong’s newest swim school, under plans lodged with City Hall.

JUMP! Swim Schools is seeking to add to its roster of Geelong locations by transforming the vacant building into a swim school at an estimated cost of $350,000.

The proposed site sits in the Barwon Fyans Business Park at 158 Fyans St.

The precinct features a number of businesses, including Fitstop Geelong, Neurological Physiotherapy Geelong, Cams Cords, Metricon Homes sales centre and Routleys Bakery.

A town planning report, prepared by Kaitlyn McNaughton on behalf of JUMP! Swim Schools, said the varied mix of businesses “complements the proposed use of a swim school well”.

“The industrial facilities that operate in the business park should pose as a conflict or cause danger to the swim school,” the report states.

“The proposed Indoor Swim School is anticipated to integrate well with these neighbouring properties, providing a valuable addition and further diversification to the range of services available in the Business Park.”

The proposed floorplan of the swimming school. Picture: Planning documents.

The proposed swim school would trade from 7am to 9pm, Monday to Friday and 7am to 6pm on weekends, with half-hour swim sessions running consecutively from 7.30am to 8.30pm.

Developers state the school “will operate in a more controlled and low-impact manner” compared to facilities such as public swimming pools and gymnasiums, “as it will not involve large groups of people during its sessions”.

The classes would have a maximum of four children per instructor, resulting in a maximum of 12 students on-site at any point in time, along with four staff members - a manager and three instructors.

The building currently has three allocated carparks, but the proposal states the precinct has shared carparking available.

JUMP! Swim Schools already has a number of franchise locations across the state, including Armstrong Creek, Geelong West and Lara.

The company had plans for a new franchise in Torquay knocked back by Surf Coast Shire Council last year.

According to planning documents JUMP! Swim Schools focuses “on teaching small children to swim in small classes whereby teachers can give full attention to the students, helping to tackle the social issue of child drowning”.

It comes after City Hall earlier this month announced it will offer free swimming lessons following research by Royal Life Saving Australia that found nearly half of grade six students were unable to swim 50 metres or tread water for two minutes.

Anyone who enrols in Webstar’s Swim School, which is operated by Geelong council, from April 14 to May 4 are eligible for two free lessons.

“It’s so important that we all play our part to teach young people water safety,” mayor Stretch Kontelj said.

Originally published as Plans lodged: JUMP! Swim School proposed for South Geelong warehouse