By Adam Carey
A public swimming pool in Melbourne’s historic Olympic Village could close within months, as the council weighs whether to decommission the centre – which is in a disadvantaged area – while spending more than $38 million upgrading a pool in a wealthier neighbouring suburb.
Heidelberg West locals say they have been blindsided by the potential loss of their pool, just three years after they joined with Banyule City Council in a redevelopment proposal for the run-down Olympic Leisure Centre that was hailed as “a once-in-a-lifetime project”.
Alex Childs and Dr Aiden Varan (crossed legs) with their daughter Wren and members of West Heidelberg community outside the Olympic Leisure Centre.Credit: Joe Armao
On Monday night, Banyule councillors will vote on a recommendation to close the pool, spa and sauna at the centre in the Olympic Village and convert the space into a library. The centre, which has serviced the public since the village built for athletes at the 1956 Olympics was turned into public housing estates in the 1970s, is outdated and open to the public for limited hours.
The 12-metre children’s pool was permanently closed for safety reasons in 2021, after several swimmers cut themselves on sharp edges in the pool shell. The 25-metre pool was also temporarily closed that year to repair leaks and structural damage and remove mould.
According to a report by Banyule council officers, the pool is no longer fit for purpose, is visited by about 77 patrons a day and is a drain on council finances, running at a loss of $1.01 million in 2023-24. Its operation costs the council almost $36 per visitor compared with an “industry average” of $4 to $5.
The report recommends closing the aquatic centre in October, converting the space into a library that would open for 30 hours a week, and investigating the feasibility of creating a splash park in Heidelberg West.
Olympic Leisure Centre stands within the former athletes’ village that was converted to public housing.Credit: Joe Armao
Paediatrician Dr Aiden Varan lives two blocks from the centre and often takes his young daughter Wren, an enthusiastic swimmer, even though the children’s pool is boarded off.
“I wish I could take my daughter there and not have to constantly hold her for fear of her getting hurt,” he said.
Varan says the centre’s limited opening hours virtually guarantee low patronage.
“It closes for three hours in the middle of the day and it doesn’t open early. Anyone who works office hours can’t go ... If your message is that it’s not used, a good way to make sure it’s not used is to make it inaccessible.”
The report to council says any decision to invest in the Olympic Leisure Centre must be weighed against the council’s $38 million plan to improve Ivanhoe Leisure Centre, three kilometres away.
Varan, who is president of the freshly formed Olympic Village Action Network, says public transport accessibility between Heidelberg West and the Ivanhoe Leisure Centre is poor. Bus route 549 runs at 30 to 40-minute intervals, between 7am and 7pm.
“And a large percentage of our population can’t drive or are elderly and otherwise incapacitated,” he said.
Hermione Gilchrist visits Olympic Leisure Centre in the early afternoon on Wednesday, only to find that it is closed.Credit: Joe Armao
Council data shows 8.5 per cent of the suburb’s population has a disability, the highest proportion in Banyule. The suburb’s disadvantaged profile is in stark contrast to neighbouring Ivanhoe, which is mostly affluent.
“It’s a very disadvantaged and very marginalised community. This sends another clear message that ‘we don’t really care about you; we go where the high ratepayers go’. It’s a business model, not a community model,” Varan said.
Rosanna retiree Margaret James takes aqua aerobics classes at the centre, which has lower participation fees than Ivanhoe. She said she also feels more comfortable at the Olympic Leisure Centre, where staff and patrons are friendly.
“It’s not a competition between West Heidelberg and Ivanhoe,” she said.
Council’s demographic data reveals Heidelberg West is one of the fastest-growing suburbs in Banyule, projected to grow 40 per cent, or an extra 5950 people, between 2023 and 2041.
“It’s like knowing traffic is building up and taking two lanes off the bridge,” Varan said.
The leisure centre is situated next door to community health centre Holstep Health, whose executive director, Mick Geary, said investing in Heidelberg West “will benefit those who need it most”.
“The local community voices are reminding governments at all levels not to forget them. The Olympic Leisure Centre is a historic community asset that builds health and connections,” Geary said.
The recommendation to close the pool comes months after the council was petitioned by more than 350 people to “respect and uphold the outcomes” of a community redesign proposal that the council initiated four years ago.
The proposal – which included an aquatic centre, gym, events hall, community rooms and landscape improvements – was lauded in a March 2022 council report as “an incredible opportunity to secure for the community a lasting and impactful resource”.
But the proposal has been dismissed by Banyule council officers as unaffordable and likely to cost up to $40 million.
Resident Jean Hallstern was in the community co-design group and rejected the council report’s characterisation of the proposal as ambitious.
“What’s ambitious about a centre in a growing area that’s fit for all ages: for young families, for youth, for the older generation?” she said.
Life Saving Victoria said it recognised concerns about the centre’s proposed closure, and urged strategic investment in aquatic infrastructure from all tiers of government. A recent report found nearly 500 pools around Australia are nearing the end of their life.
“Public pools are essential for water safety education, physical and mental health, and reducing drowning risk,” it said.
The council declined to comment ahead of Monday’s vote.
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