Hamilton ‘under-laned’ in its provision of aquatic facilities

Hamilton is “desperately under-laned” in its provision of aquatic facilities, with insufficient swimming lanes for a growing population, according to Mark Bunting, Chair of Hamilton City Council’s Community Committee.

Councillor Bunting was commenting during yesterday’s (24th June 2020) consideration by the Committee of a report on the city’s Municipal Pools.

Closed in 2012, in June 2015 the Council voted to permanently close them due to safety and structural concerns going on to apply for a resource consent to demolish the pools in February last year.

The consent process included a two-day hearing in November 2019, chaired by an independent commissioner.

Yesterday staff reported the Council had received consent for demolition. The consent is valid for five years.

In the decision, the Commissioner noted the site “has reached such a stage of deterioration that it is considered unviable and impractical to refurbish it for public swimming purposes”. The staff report said the existing buildings were unstable and unsafe.

One of the conditions of the resource consent is preparation of a site restoration and interpretation plan (SRIP) by an independent party.

That process will include workshops with the people and groups who made submissions to the resource consent hearing with the aim of capturing the pools’ social history and ideas on how this can be reflected in the site’s restoration.

Council staff noted possibilities included the use of salvaged materials in the site’s redesign and plaques and signs acknowledging Municipal Pools personalities.

The Municipal Pools were built in 1912 and have a Category B Heritage ranking in the Operative Hamilton City District Plan.

The Community Committee approved the preparation of a site restoration and interpretation plan and detailed design for demolition of the pools in 2021/22.

Councillors noted development of the Municipal Pools site and the wider issue of Hamilton’s aquatic provision would be decided through the 2021-31 Long-Term Plan process.

Councillor Bunting said the city’s aquatic offering needed to be addressed as a priority, noting “we will be working hard to put a very strong aquatic plan in place before the Long-Term Plan.”

Councillors referred the issue of the future of the Municipal Pools site to the Central City and River Plan Advisory Group chaired by Deputy Mayor Geoff Taylor, noting it was important the future of the site was considered as part of central city rejuvenation plans.

Demolition of the pools was budgeted through the 2018-28 Long-Term Plan. Several advocates for the preservation of the pools presented at the public forum before yesterday’s meeting.

Image courtesy of Zoggs.