Warringah Aquatic Centre: Refurb bid to get more people through its doors

Warringah Aquatic Centre has hosted Olympic trials and national championships — but it’s 43 years old and the push is on to give it a major upgrade.

The push is on for the 43-year-old, and well used, Warringah Aquatic Centre to be upgraded.

New member of Northern Beaches Council, Jose Menano-Pires was also quick off the blocks in advocating for an indoor sports hall to be built next door to the pool complex at Frenchs Forest.

Cr Menano-Pires, on the Your Northern Beaches Independent Team, was successful in having his motion passed, at this week’s council meeting, calling on it to prepare a report on the possible upgrading and expanding the facilities in and around the centre.

When it officially opened in November 1979, it was the largest indoor-outdoor aquatic centre in Australia and since then has been used by millions of people and hosted top-tier events including Olympic trails as well as NSW and national championships.

Melissa Mitchell, in the 16 years 100m backstroke at the 2004 NSW Championships at the Warringah Aquatic Centre. Picture: Roy Haverkamp.

Cr Menano-Pires said the main objective of the refurbishment was to increase patronage because, he told the council, the facility was $2.9 million in the red over the last two years and had been losing up to $700,000 a year pre-Covid.

“The pool is the only indoor Olympic-standard 50m pool north of the Harbour. It is a unique asset … and is in need of refurbishment.

“The main objective of the refurbishment is to basically increase patronage and to diminish our losses which for the past couple of years were running at $1.7m and $1.2m a year.”

Warringah Aquatic Centre in October 1979, a month before it was officially opened. Picture: Manly Daily

In May 2018 the Manly Daily reported that part of the ceiling fell down onto the pool deck.

Last year there was speculation that the centre would have to be bulldozed to make way for the relocation of The Forest High School. The school has to move to accommodate the new Frenchs Forest town centre, but planners have decided it will now be built at Allambie Heights.

Landscaping work at the Warringah Aquatic Centre in 1979. Picture: Northern Beaches Library

Warringah Aquatic Centre under construction. Picture: Northern Beaches Library

Cr Menano-Pires also pointed out that ‘the Forest” did not have any indoor sport facilities and the local population would increase with the acceptance of the new plan for the Frenchs Forest town centre.

“There is a terrible need for basketball, badminton and a few other indoor facilities.”

He said the council report, to be completed in three months would “tell us what can be done, bearing in mind there will be (environmental) restrictions on that site.”

The Warringah Aquatic Centre in 2010. Picture: Manly Daily

The Save Manly Dam Catchment Committee urged the council to drop the idea of expanding the facilities.

Spokeswoman Ann Sharp told the meeting that construction, and the probable disturbance of underground contaminated material left over from a former council tip, could damage sensitive animal an plant populations.

Cr Jose Menano-Pires would like to see the Warringah Aquatic Centre upgraded and a new indoor sports facility built at the complex. Picture: Supplied.

Greens’ councillor Kristyn Glanville supported the motion but echoed Ms Sharp’s comments that the council would have to minimise the impact of construction on the natural environment around Manly Dam and make sure underground contaminants were not released.