Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre: Liverpool Council plans to replace 50m pool with 25m version after budget blowout

A 50m lap pool, outdoor water play area, spa and sauna are on the chopping block as a southwest Sydney council considers revising plans for a long-awaited aquatic centre.

An artist’s impression previously produced as part of Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre plans.

A budget blowout is threatening to derail plans for a long-awaited, state-of-the-art aquatic centre in southwest Sydney, with a 50m lap pool, outdoor water play area and multi-use centre on the chopping block.

The landmark project — initially touted to include a 50m pool and a gymnastics, health and fitness area, alongside a cafe and multiple sporting fields on Kurrajong and Cowpasture Rd, Carnes Hill — secured $53.4m from the Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants Program last year.

But a review conducted by the Liverpool City Council and representatives of the grants program has revealed the price of current plans for the Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre has almost doubled, rising to an estimated $100m.

Councillors are set to decide at an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night whether to endorse a revision of the aquatic centre masterplan, under which the planned 50m pool would be replaced by a 25m, eight-lane version that “aligns with available funding”.

A learn-to-swim pool, splash pad, change rooms, cafe/restaurant, reception and pool concourse would be delivered as part of stage one of the aquatic centre.

An artist’s impression of the 50m indoor pool initially planned for the Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre. Picture: Liverpool Council

Unless additional funding was made available, a planned spa and sauna would also be scrapped.

The revised stage one of the masterplan is expected to cost $57.6m. To cover the shortfall, the council has recommended using $4.265m in funding currently allocated to another project to supplement the $53.4m grant and complete stage one.

An artist’s impression of the originally planned outdoor play area. Picture: Liverpool Council

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun told this masthead last year the grant program funding would cover the entire cost of the aquatic centre.

“The residents and ratepayers of Liverpool deserve the best recreational facilities,” he said.

“At the moment, there are not enough pools and recreational facilities in the (local government area) and this will help remedy this situation.”

The council was warned two years ago to consider halving the length of the pool, with Warren Green Consulting recommending that course of action in a 2022 report that said Liverpool residents were “likely to have a lower propensity to swim based on several factors including place of birth”.

“Given over 40 per cent of the population is born overseas, the allocations of 50m pools is likely to be in stark contrast to the swimming capabilities of many of the community members,” the report said.

The report also found a 50m pool would have a “financial viability and environmental sustainability of the facilities”, and a planned pool of the same length at the future Austral aquatic centre would cater to residents’ needs.

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun previously said grant funding would cover the entire cost of the aquatic centre. Picture: Facebook

“This is also likely to negatively influence the level of funding potentially available, as investors will not see the 50m pools as viable investment opportunities.”

A Liverpool Council spokesman said the council wanted to provide the city with an aquatic centre at Carnes Hill that met the needs of the community and could be delivered with the available funds.

“Swimming is part of the Australian culture and we are aiming to provide a place where the community can learn to swim, keep fit by swimming laps and where families can relax and enjoy a year round dip,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman also said the council was making provisions for a 50m pool “should demand be demonstrated and the budget become available”, but previous community consultation showed there was “not great demand” for one.

While construction was earmarked to start mid-2025 under the initial plans, the council said a revised timeline for the project’s completion would “depend entirely on the outcome of community consultation and the development of the final plan”.