Development application lodged for Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre, changes to design revealed

There’s new progress on of the Top End’s most anticipated million-dollar projects. Read about the upgrades here.

Demolition of the old Casuarina Pool has begun, as a development application for its $25m replacement is released.

The design for City of Darwin’s Casuarina Aquatic and Leisure Centre was lodged with the Development Consent Authority, with the public able to review it and comment until November 4.

The application was lodged by Cunnington Rosse, on behalf of builder Halikos Construction.

The redevelopment will feature a resort-style pool, 50m lap pool, cafe, gym, community room, allied health premises and more.

Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said changes were made to the design to accommodate the wishes of the community.

“During the stakeholder consultation process the swimming fraternity asked for the 50m and 25m pools to be more closely located, which we have done in our new alignment of the community pool space,” he said.

“Stakeholders also requested changes to the site lay out to improve lines of sight for safety reasons, which we have also incorporated into the design.

“Another important change is the introduction of solid, cyclone-proof structures to shade the pools which is key to the regulation of water temperatures, particularly in the wet season.”

Mr Vatskalis said a key roadblock had been the increased costs of construction in the NT and Australia but affirmed the project would not go over budget.

“We have worked with Halikos Construction to maintain the key features of the development while staying within our $25m budget,” he said.

“As result, we will deliver a total of 2500sq m of community pool space.”

The pool officially closed earlier this month.

Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.