City of Sydney finally opens Prince Alfred Park Pool

Eight years after it was first announced, five years after site works began, and two years after the first scheduled opening date, the City of Sydney has finally opened its upgraded Prince Alfred Park Pool.

Located in the suburb of Surry Hills the much-anticipated new heated outdoor 50-metre pool is the City's first fully accessible, heated outdoor pool.

Designed by Potts Point-based practice Neeson Murcutt Architects, the pool is the final stage in the redevelopment of the 7.5-hectare Prince Alfred Park.

In recognition of the construction delays, the City of Sydney is offering free entry to the pool for its first six months to thank the public for their patience during construction.

Explaining the delays at the opening, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore stated "residents, visitors and workers have been incredibly patient as issues including, unusually high rainfall and soil contamination, delayed the new pool.

"To say thanks to the community, this fully-accessible pool will have free entry for six months. The pool will be open all-year round, providing fantastic views of the city skyline while swimmers do their laps in well-heated water."

The Lord Mayor praised the features of the pool, believed to have cost in excess of $20 million, adding "this wonderful pool is going to be open all year round. It is the City's first fully accessible, heated outdoor pool, with a ramp into the water ensuring everyone can use it.

"It has the biggest green roof of its kind in Sydney, topped with indigenous flowers and meadow grasses that fold over the café and change rooms.

"The pool uses state-of-the-art technology for filtration and monitoring and the best in sustainable practices including stormwater harvesting, water-saving fixtures, natural ventilation and lighting through skylights and high level openings, energy efficient LED lighting and gas hot water heating.

"There are (also) new barbecues and family picnic areas … hundreds of new trees and plants … and custom-designed energy-efficient lights throughout the park."

Previous work at Prince Alfred Park included an underground stormwater reuse system, five new tennis courts, two children's playgrounds, a new exercise circuit, two new basketball courts and an additional half-court.

The completed pool also offers a new cafe, and a green roof topped with 35,917 plants featuring wildflowers and meadow grasses. The Council hopes as the native grasses mature and thicken they will provide important habitat for urban wildlife including lizards, small birds and insects.

The pool's 'green' credentials also include the use of stormwater for irrigation and toilet flushing, and energy-efficient LED lighting. A gas hot water heating is to be used until a planned tri-generation plant comes online.

The pool is being operated by Belgravia Leisure who also won the tender in 2011 to manage and operate the City of Sydney's Victoria Park Pool at Camperdown and the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool at The Domain.

Prince Alfred Park Pool details:

• The Prince Alfred Park Pool will be open daily from 6am-7pm and 6am-8pm (during daylight saving hours) and 7am-7pm on public holidays. It will only close on Good Friday and Christmas Day. 
• It is the City's first fully accessible heated outdoor pool, with a ramp into the water ensuring everyone can use it. 
• The pool holds 1,850,000 litres of water. 
• The pool uses state of the art technology for filtration and monitoring and the best in sustainable practices, including: 
• Stormwater harvesting, with the water used for irrigation and toilet flushing 
• Water-saving fixtures, such as three-star rated showerheads, waterless urinals, four-star low-flow taps with automatic shut off and pool covers to prevent water loss through evaporation 
• Natural ventilation and lighting through skylights and high level openings, while white tiles reflect sunlight into internal spaces 
• Thermally efficient below-ground amenities and offices to regulate internal temperature and reduce the need for air-conditioning 
• Energy-efficient LED lighting and gas hot water heating, which will be used until the trigeneration plant is installed 
• Light zoning to allow lights to be turned off or dimmed when daylight is sufficient 
• An Ultra Fine Filtration system, which saves 80% more pool water compared to a sand filter-style 
• The pool facility houses all essential uses including administration offices, kiosk, plant and changes rooms, resulting in the smallest possible footprint. 
• Prince Alfred Park Pool has the biggest green roof of its kind in Sydney, topped with 35,917 plants, completely concealing the facility from the street. 
• The pool completes the end of the most extensive upgrade to Prince Alfred Park in 50 years, which includes new tennis and basketball courts, play areas, landscaping and space for the City's first trigeneration plant for self-powering the park and pool.  • Prince Alfred Park was originally bushland crossed by a tributary of Blackwattle Creek. It was a camping place for local Gadigal people until the 1850s. 
• The original vegetation was cleared in the early 19th century to create a Government Paddock, sometimes known as the Cleveland Paddocks, for grazing livestock. This pastoral activity ended when part of the paddock became a public park in 1865 and later the site of The NSW Agricultural Society's Intercolonial Exhibition, celebrating farming and other primary industries until the early twentieth century. 
• Cleveland Paddocks takes its name from the nearby Cleveland House, built in the 1820s and still standing at the corner of Bedford and Buckingham Streets. 
• A meadow of seasonal and flowering native grasses was planted in 2012 as part of the upgrade to Prince Alfred Park Pool. As the native grasses mature and thicken, they will provide important habitat for urban wildlife including lizards, small birds and insects. 
• The City's operates four other pools, including the Andrew (Boy) Charlton Pool, Cook + Phillip Park Aquatic and Fitness Centre, Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre and Victoria Park Pool. 

For more information go to www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/facilities/swimming-pools/prince-alfred-park-pool

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