Palmerston Recreation Centre: Council to abolish open door policy

A Top End council is likely to abolish its open door policy of its popular recreation centre for good next week. Find out why.

The Palmerston Recreation Centre. Picture: City of Palmerston

Palmerston councillors are likely to abolish the open door policy of its popular recreation centre for good next week.

On November 1, 2024, the City of Palmerston implemented a three-month trial for its Palmerston Recreation Centre, where users of the facility could only freely access it between 8-10am before requiring a booking.

The trial was enforced after a series of anti-social incidents left staff and users concerned for their personal safety.

A packed out Palmerston Recreation Centre for Children's Week 2024. Picture: Just Peachy Productions

According to a report released by the City of Palmerston for its upcoming council meeting on February 18, the trial “positively impacted the centre and reduced incidence of anti-social behaviour.”

“There was a reduction in anti-social behaviours during the trial, with no anti-social incidents recorded”, the report stated.

“Staff prior to this had been intermittently locking the building front door when tensions appeared high in the building proximity or as needed.”

During this “three-month trial”, the centre was closed for the entire month of January due to renewal and maintenance works including floor sealing and painting.

Palmerston Recreation Centre. Picture: Elise Derwin

“It should be noted that the data is for eight weeks due to the January closure”, the report stated.

Under the policy, full public access to the centre – which includes toilets and showers – will now be limited to 8-9am Monday to Friday, an hour less than what was seen in the trial.

The report says the reasoning is because the community “primarily uses the bathroom facilities between 8-9am Monday to Friday, with 87 per cent of usage occurring during this period”.

Artistic render of new "informal" meeting spaces at the Palmerston Recreation Centre. Picture: City of Palmerston

The facility will be closed to the public on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, and only remain open to bookings.

“If council were to discontinue the reduced hours and reinstate the open-door practice … an increase in security service to this level would be an additional cost of approximately $115,000 per year,” according to the report.

The decision to implement the trial on October 15, 2024, went unopposed and was carried 5-0.

Originally published as Palmerston Recreation Centre: Council to abolish open door policy