Cost of new Adelaide Aquatic Centre set to rise by 59%

Revealing designs for the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre, the South Australian Government has announced that the cost of the facility will rise by $55 million from its initially projected $80 million.

Advising that the cost rise is due to "significant improvements" to the project design, South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas explained “there is no point in any government spending tens of millions of dollars on a brand new aquatic centre unless it's actually going to last us for decades.

"We've made the decision to invest in the future, get it right the first time around so when this brand new facility opens up, the South Australian community can have something they're proud of."

The updated design for the $135 million facility will include outdoor pools, a dedicated learn-to-swim facility, a cafe, gym and waterslides while allowing more space to be returned to park lands.

The new Centre will also be set back 30 metres further from North Adelaide’s Barton Terrace West than the original plans.

This will enable the new recreation spaces in the north-west section of Park 2 to be delivered in collaboration with the City of Adelaide six months earlier, returning recreational spaces back for use by schools and sporting groups.

It will also mean the centre’s outdoor and retail spaces will not be impacted by construction works of demolishing the old centre after opening of the new centre.

Premier Malinauskas also advised that the existing Adelaide Aquatic Centre will now close in August next year with the new facility due for completion in summer 2025/26, meaning the city will be without a main aquatic facility for at least 16 months.

Advising that the revised approach will allow for the "shortest possible construction time-frame" and accommodate a multi-level facility that minimises its footprint, South Australian Minister for Infrastructure Tom Koutsantonis said closing the existing centre was "not an easy decision but it's the right one".

Minister Koutsantonis explained “we would have liked to have kept it open but ultimately when you want to do something properly for the first time - make sure you get it right.

"We're giving users over 12 months' notice to make sure that we can relocate them to new facilities, other facilities around metropolitan Adelaide where they can still fulfil their need."

The South Australian Government said that the Parks Community Centre and University of South Australia's Pridham Hall had been identified as alternative pool options during the transition phase, with Minister Koutsantonis adding “almost every group that uses the pool professionally and socially for leisure understands that we're getting a better outcome.”

In a statement, the Adelaide City Council explained that the current Adelaide Aquatic Centre costs it “more than $1 million a year” and that “the decision to invest capital upfront in better facilities will help underpin a more productive business model”.

The South Australian Government is in discussions with the Adelaide City Council about its role in the closure of the existing centre, covering the cost of demolishing and remediating the site of the existing council-run facility and returning the existing centre site back to Park Lands.

An Expression of Interest has been released for potential builders to construct the facility.

The new Centre will include:

• A 50 metre, 10-lane indoor pool suitable for carnivals, sport and recreational use
• A 25 metre, six-lane outdoor pool with lagoon
• A dedicated warm-water indoor pool incorporating a rehabilitation program
• A dedicated indoor pool for learn-to-swim programs
• Diving amenities
• Extensive indoor and outdoor all-ages play areas with waterslides, splash zones, BBQs and lawned areas
• Café available for both centre visitors and other Park 2 users
• Gym and fitness facilities three times larger than previously planned
• Spa, sauna and steam room
• Community change rooms
• Improved car parking with access from Jeffcott Road, improved public transport, pedestrian and cycle pathways connecting the centre with existing networks

Images: Artists impressions of the new aquatic centre. Credit: South Australian Government.