Yarra Ranges Council has confirmed that Lilydale is the preferred location for a new fit-for-purpose and financially sustainable aquatics and leisure facility designed to serve the region's growing and diverse communities.
At the Council meeting on 8 September, Councillors endorsed a refined scope for the project's business case that will now include a 25-metre lap pool, a learn-to-swim area, a warm water therapy pool, a splash park, saunas and health and fitness spaces.
Yarra Ranges Mayor, Cr Richard Higgins, said the refined scope provides the certainty needed for the business plan to continue progressing and meet the mid-2027 target completion date.
"Aquatic and leisure facilities bring the community together and encourage a greater focus on wellbeing, rehabilitation, education, fitness, leisure and play. We know we need a new facility in our urban area, and following a comprehensive assessment process, Lilydale has been identified as the ideal location," Cr Higgins said.
"While many residents would like to see this new facility located in their own township, the assessment process identified Lilydale as the preferred location. Its central position within our municipality, large and growing population, and strong public transport connections means it is well placed to serve the greatest number of residents. Council has identified several suitable sites in Lilydale and will now progress with more detailed investigations.
"Although I know the community will be interested in knowing which sites we're considering, it's critical to keep this information confidential for now, so we don't impact future procurement processes and compromise our ability to deliver this project."
Other recommendations in the report endorsed by Council include confirming that the business case would not investigate the inclusion of a 50-metre pool any further, and ruling out Kiloran Park in Kilsyth as a possible location.
"This would be Council's largest ever infrastructure project – one that will service the whole of our community for many decades, and a central location like Lilydale will provide the most benefit and accessibility to everyone who calls the Yarra Ranges home."
"Confirmation that the new facility will be in Lilydale also means we can resume planning for the future of Kiloran Park in Kilsyth, with a focus on how we can best use the open space for community and recreation."
Cr Higgins said that excluding a 50-metre lap pool from the project would help keep the project financially viable for the lifetime of a new facility.
"While a 50-metre pool would meet the needs of some user groups, it would also add around $10 million to our construction costs, and significantly increase the operating costs every year, putting the project's affordability and the facility's long-term sustainability at risk.
"It would also mean we'd likely need to sacrifice funding and space for other facilities used by a much broader cross-representation of our communities like warm water and program pools used for rehabilitation and younger children's swimming lessons."
Cr Higgins cautioned that while this is a notable step forward, there's still a long road ahead to see this project delivered.
"While this is a long-term project that will require significant funding, we are committed to helping build the case for its delivery and turning the vision into reality. A major new aquatics and leisure facility would benefit Yarra Ranges families for generations to come, and we look forward to keeping the community updated as progress is made every step of the way."
