Willoughby Leisure Centre pool to close over summer for major redevelopment

Residents on the north shore are set to swelter this summer as a local council confirms the region’s main pool will close from next week to make way for a major redevelopment.

Willoughby Leisure Centre’s pool is about to close for a major redevelopment

A north shore council has come under fire over plans to close a major swimming pool in the lead up to summer to make way for a multimillion dollar redevelopment.

Willoughby Council has confirmed the Willoughby Leisure Centre pool will close to swimmers from November 19 to accommodate the start of a long-planned redevelopment of the site, expected to take 18 months to complete.

The centre is the only public pool in the local government area and is one of the largest aquatic centres in Sydney’s north, attracting more than 300,000 visitors per year.

Residents have taken aim at the timing of the works and have called on the council to defer the construction start date until after the school holidays in February.

Leisure centre member Kristina Dodds said the closure could leave local swimmers high and dry.

A concept plan of the redeveloped Willoughby Leisure Centre.

“I’ve been a member for 15 years and it’s used by a wide section of the community – there’s a swim school, it’s used by schools and swimming carnivals,” she said.

“It’s especially popular in summer and on hot days and for people that don’t have pools at home it’s the local centre where we all go.

“We know the upgrade has to happen and it’s a great thing but it would have been better to wait those extra few months.”

The centre attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors per year.

There are concerns the impacts of the closure could be compounded by the ongoing redevelopment of North Sydney Olympic pool, originally due to open in November this year but currently running 173 days behind schedule due to impacts including Covid-19 shutdowns and months of poor weather.

“With North Sydney Pool still closed the alternatives are Lane Cove, Ryde and Northbridge, which doesn’t have a swim school,” Ms Dodds said.

“That doesn’t leave a lot of options for an enormous section of the population and it could place more pressure on the facilities that are open.”

A photo of redevelopment works at North Sydney Olympic Pool which is running almost six months behind schedule.

Willoughby Council in a statement said the November closure was partly due to conditions of a $5 million State Government grant towards the project which stipulates work must begin by December.

Willoughby Mayor Tanya Taylor said the ageing state of the current pool meant delaying the project was not an option.

“It is not possible to keep the 32-year-old pool open past November 18 or to commence the reconstruction project after summer due to the ageing state of the facility,” she said in a statement.

A concept plan of the redeveloped Willoughby Leisure Centre

“While it will be difficult to be without our pool hall between now and mid-2024, we are confident that at the end of this project we’ll have a stunning new fit-for-purpose facility that will represent the very best in modern leisure centres.”

The redevelopment of the centre will include three new pools and a new creche outdoor area.

The leisure centre’s gym and school holiday program will continue to operate during summer, despite the main pool hall being shut.

The council’s plans state the development “will provide modern aquatic facilities and an upgraded sports hall that will provide services and expanded programs important to the Willoughby community.”

The council said current facilities had “reached the end of their useful life” and the upgrade would address dilapidation including “concrete cancer” in the existing 25m pool.

“The primary reason the pool needs to close over summer, and in turn for upgrade works to begin, relates to the fact that the pool’s pump and filtration system has reached the end of its life,” a spokesman said.

“This system cannot be relied upon to carry the pool hall across summer, without an upgrade.

“In addition, the Council is currently upgrading the accessibility of the Northbridge Baths, which will of course remain open across summer.”