Melbourne’s Bayside Council backs warm water pool plan and privately-funded wellness centre development

Bayside City Council has endorsed a site at the north-east corner of Melbourne’s Brighton Golf Course as a preferred site for a public warm water pool.

Agreed at a pre-Christmas meeting of the Council, the agreement to build the new facility at the Brighton Golf Course site followed the exploration of seven sites across Bayside, including Thomas Street in Hampton.

In a media release, the Council advised that the backing for the site next to the car park at the Brighton Golf Course “was selected as the best location for access and protection of the local and residential environment”.

The statement added that the public golf course would remain a par-67 with the careful realignment of two holes, adding “Council’s endorsement of a location is an important milestone for this project, which an independent feasibility study confirmed would likely receive high usage from Bayside’s proportionally older population and those with a disability or injury.

“The proposed warm water pool (will) cater for all ages, thanks to a moveable floor in the main pool to facilitate children’s swimming lessons, while a second, fixed-depth clinical pool enable aquatic programming and therapeutic activities to run at the same time. To ensure access and inclusion for all, changerooms would be included for those with complex or high needs.”

Wellness Centre to be backed by private investment
As part of the development, the Council has agreed to Leisure Management Services, the current lessee at Brighton Golf Course, independently funding, developing and operating a Wellness Centre in the north-eastern corner of the course to complement the warm water pool.

This proposed facility will include hot springs and plunge pools, as well as a sauna, spa, snow room and reflexology walk through the natural environment.

Community views
Community engagement on this significant project, as well as the Wellness Centre proposal, is expected to commence in February 2022.

Image courtesy of Bayside City Council.