Olympic Pool cost blow out contributes to North Sydney Council rates increase

Despite resident protests, North Sydney Council has voted to increase rates by more than 87% over two years.

Agreed by a vote late on Monday night, the Council will need to get approval for the special rate variation from NSW’s Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.

One of the biggest drivers in the need for a rate increase has been the cost blowout of redeveloping the heritage-listed North Sydney Olympic Pool - now estimated to cost about $120 million.

The Council has advised that the rising costs for the project, originally estimated to cost $64 million, have been driven by lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, increase in service delivery costs and declining revenue from other sources.

As reported by media, North Sydney Mayor Zoë Baker said the rate increase was the "harsh reality" of the former Council's "bloated vanity project" to redevelop the pool, which she had voted against.

She advised “now is the time to make the difficult decisions for the greater good.

"And now we are here at the crunch time for the clean-up. Doing the essential financial repair, making the hard, responsible decisions.”

Olympic Pool project cost blowout impacts other council
Concerns over the ballooning cost of the North Sydney Olympic Pool are leading to caution among local governments across the nation when considering refurbishing or building new aquatic facilities.

Late last year, Royal Life Saving Society - Australia Chief Executive Justin Scarr wrote on social media that “the true cost of the North Sydney Pool refurb is much more than $91 million (and is) drowning out hope of a pool rebuild or refurbishment for many more communities across Australia.”

Pointing to Royal Life Saving having previously reported the urgent need for upgrades to 500 community pools over the next decade, Scarr went on to state “rapid urban development means many more people in densely and diversely populated suburbs have to pack a picnic to get to a good place to swim or wait in line to get lessons for their kids.

“Yet, whenever the idea of a comprehensive targeted investment strategy for community pools is raised the most common response is ‘what about North Sydney’, usually with an eye roll.

“Busting through the cynicism is a challenge but it’s not impossible.

“Local communities love their pools. Those reaching beyond the Speedo wearing cohort, make a real additional contribution to health and social cohesion for those who need it most."

Images: Concept for the redevelopment of the North Sydney Olympic Pool (top) and the refurbishment of the pool includes preservation of its heritage elements which date back to is construction in 1936 (below).