City of Vincent commits to $2.9 million in improvements at Beatty Park Leisure Centre

Perth's heritage-listed Beatty Park Leisure Centre is to undergo an upgrade program at a cost of $2.9 million that will see improvements to its indoor pool, change rooms and grandstand.

The works, the representing the first major expenditure at the facility since its gym was redeveloped in 2012, will include retiling, upgrading the pipework and water disinfection system at the indoor pool, improving change rooms on the northern side of the centre and fixing the electrical circuits in the grandstand.

City of Vincent Mayor Emma Cole said the works had been fast-tracked by 12 months in line with other works in the area, telling the Eastern Reporter "we have got $2.9 million allocated in the budget for Beatty Park and that is all going towards some pretty significant maintenance works.

“They are looking to improving the changing rooms and toilets in the indoor pool hall area … they are serviceable but they really need some significant help.

“They have stairs and they are not good for accessibility, so we need to do some work there.

“The idea was to try and combine those works and do those works while the pool is being retiled.

“We will have to close that part of the pool when that happens.

“We are still not back to full capacity, so it probably is as good of a time as any.”

Construction is expected to start in late October or early November.

Commenting on the need for the indoor pool to be retiled, Mayor Cole added "we are getting to a point where we could probably leave the pool for another year but then you might start to see tiles getting a bit wobbly.

“No one needs to experience that - it needs to be safe for our pool users.

“So this would all fall into essential maintenance work and I think it is just an illustration of how expensive a major facility like Beatty Park is.”

Mayor Cole said there would be a business case developed by the administration, which was expected to be considered by the Council at its next meeting.

Advising that Centre has been running at 85% capacity since its post-Coronavirus reopening, she added "we are still not running at full throttle, but the response from the community has been fantastic and I think everyone has really enjoyed the ability to get back and exercise."

Images of the Beatty Park Leisure Centre courtesy of the City of Vincent.