Heidelberg West rallies against council plan to close its run-down pool
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'.
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since the village built for athletes at the 1956 Olympics was turned into public housing estates in the 1970s, is outdated and open to the public for limited hours.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.
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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.
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.
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