Yarra Ranges Council is disappointed to announce that Kilsyth Centenary Pool will remain closed pending the completion of a new Aquatic Strategy for the municipality which is currently being developed and due for completion later this year.
The Aquatics Strategy will help guide Council's decisions around future investment into aquatic facilities, including Kilsyth Pool, ensuring those facilities provide value for money and meet the health and wellbeing needs of our community.
This decision follows recent structural assessments that have identified a number of significant defects with the pool, in particular the recently vandalised dome structure which is at risk of collapsing.
Due to the age of the dome material and amount of damage, any repairs that might be possible would only provide a very short-term fix for the structure. The current closure will enable investigations to continue so we can understand more about long-term options that might be available for this facility.
Over the past seven years, Council has spent significant amounts on renewal and maintenance works at the Kilsyth pool, including works to address a significant leak in July 2022.
Council understands closure of Kilsyth Centenary Pool is disruptive, particularly for regular users of the pool and for staff who work there. However, we believe it is in the best interests of the community to pause on any decisions around the very costly repairs at Kilsyth until the Aquatic Strategy work is complete, and we have a clearer understanding about all the options.
Council continues to work with our aquatics contract partner Belgravia Leisure to support all members and customers affected by the closure.
In the meantime, a survey is currently open asking for community feedback around how aquatic services and facilities are used now, and how they might be use in the future.
Click here to take part in the survey.
The survey closes on Wednesday 26 April 2023. A summary of the survey findings will help inform the strategy draft which will be made available for further community feedback around June this year.
Further direction on Kilsyth pool will follow completion of the Aquatics Strategy.
