Public consultation opens today on location for new Adelaide Aquatic Centre

Public consultation has started today on the new $82 million Adelaide Aquatic Centre with South Australians being encouraged to provide input on their preferred location for the new aquatic centre.

The South Australian Government plans to rebuild, own and operate the new centre after making it a key election promise to replace the aging aquatic centre in North Adelaide’s parklands. The existing City of Adelaide Aquatic Centre has reached the end of its operational life and will be replaced by a facility that delivers better amenities and services that meet the needs of the community.

The public consultation focuses on the community’s preferred location for the new facility – which could be built in the south-west corner, south-east corner or north-east corner of Adelaide City northern Park Lands at Pardipardinyilla / Denise Norton Park (Park 2).

SA Infrastructure Minister Tom Koustantonis highlights the importance of receiving feedback from residents advising “we are committed to building a new facility that meets the needs and expectations of the community and is able to be utilised for the long-term.

“This will be a centre that is used by residents across many different communities in and around Adelaide’s CBD, and it is important that those communities have their say in its future.”

Local State Member for Adelaide, Lucy Hood enthused “this is an exciting first step towards delivering a new, state-of-the-art facility that will keep people of all ages – from babies through to seniors – fit and active and safe in the water.

“Importantly, the current facility will continue to operate while we build the new centre – meaning the hundreds of thousands of visitors, locals and families who rely on this service each year won’t miss out during the upgrade.’

Prior to the election commitment, City of Adelaide undertook an extensive analysis for a new facility, including the three locations being consulted on.

Any of the three proposed site locations will allow the existing facility to remain open during construction of the new centre. Once the new centre is opened, the existing Adelaide Aquatic Centre will be demolished and returned to Park Lands.

Meanwhile, community group - The Adelaide Park Lands Association - has slammed the South Australian Government’s consultation process (which opened today) for the new $82 million Adelaide Aquatic Centre highlighting that it does not envisage any site other than on open green public parkland.

The vocal community group is calling on the South Australian Government to consider alternative sites for the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre with the group's president Shane Sody having written to SA Premier Peter Malinauskas detailing multiple other brownfield sites around Adelaide that could be used.

Sody advised "we will be providing real feedback, from an open-ended survey, showing that the government does not need to attack Adelaide's open green public parklands to deliver a first-class new aquatic centre.”

In addition to community engagement, the State Government will, this week, start a procurement process for the design of the new facility. An open expression of interest will be released to qualified architectural firms, followed by request for tender to shortlisted companies.

Public feedback on the preferred location can be provided at a pop-up information stand at the Adelaide Aquatic Centre or drop-in information sessions on 22nd June (3pm to 6pm) and 25th June (1pm to 4pm) at the Torrens Room, Adelaide Inn, 160 O’Connell Street, North Adelaide.

Feedback on the preferred location is open until 5pm, Sunday 10th July 2022. View the Project Fact Sheet (June 2022) for more information

Image: The 2019 concept for a redeveloped Adelaide Aquatic Centre.