Civic site ruled out: ‘A kick in guts’ on pool

ERIN PEARSON
SURF Coast’s council has ruled out developing an aquatic centre in its new civic precinct, a councillor has revealed.
A community group campaigning for the facility called the decision “another kick in the guts”.
Cr Ron Humphrey said the civic precinct plan had “great” sport facilities but should have included space for an aquatic centre.
“The whole precinct is supposed to be a long-term facility for Torquay but council’s made a decision that an aquatic centre is off the table. I’m disappointed that some of the councillors who were gung-ho about an aquatic centre have now backed away.
“I’m not saying the sporting facilities in the new plan aren’t good but they don’t represent the community as a whole.
“Disabled people can’t all play soccer and football but a pool would serve toddlers right through to oldies and across the board.”
Council voted at its last meeting to approve a civic precinct plan with four netball courts, three soccer pitches, two football ovals, an early childhood centre, an indoor stadium, a skate park, cricket nets and a residential village.
Cr Humphrey said council could have deleted the childhood centre to include the aquatic facility.
Mayor Dean Webster said in his opening speech to council in December that an aquatic facility should remain on council’s “forward agenda”.
But a $60,000 feasibility study found that Torquay’s population forecast would fail to support the necessary investment.
The study followed residents petitioning council to investigate developing an aquatic centre in Torquay.
Surf Coast Community Leisure Centre Action Group member Peter Currie said residents had been calling for a pool since the mid-1990s.
“There’s still a huge push in the community for an aquatic centre but we can’t get one unless we have the backing of council,” he said.
“It interests me that Winchelsea, in the Surf Coast Shire, has just got a recreation centre with a 25-metre swimming pool when its population is just a few thousand but Torquay’s pushing 20,000.
“We’re the largest town in Australia without a pool facility – even Ocean Grove has one.”