South Australian Government reveals latest step in $135 million Adelaide Aquatic Centre plan

The South Australian Government’s plans for an all-new Adelaide Aquatic Centre are moving forward with the Adelaide City Council granting key approvals to pave the way for the construction of the $135 million facility.

At its meeting last night, the Council approved a new Community Land Management Plan, and formally noted consultation on a draft lease and licence for the new Aquatic Centre.

The Council also acknowledged that it had previously sought funding from the former South Australia and Federal governments to rebuild the facility on Park 2 in the Adelaide Park Lands.

Commenting on the process, South Australian Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Tom Koutsantonis stated “we’re getting on with the job and delivering what we committed to the people of South Australia - a brand new, significantly improved Adelaide Aquatic Centre.”

During the meeting, Councillor Henry Davis, a former Liberal Party member, attempted to rescind approval for the Community Land Management Plan.

However, other councillors praised the South Australian Government’s extensive community consultation efforts, which involved gathering input from over 1200 users, sporting groups, and local residents.

As a result of this extensive consultation, the $135 million facility is set to feature the following:

• A 50-metre, 10-lane indoor pool suitable for carnivals, sports, and recreational use.

• A 25-metre, six-lane outdoor pool complete with a lagoon.

• A dedicated warm-water indoor pool with a rehabilitation program.

• A designated indoor pool for learn-to-swim programs.

• Diving facilities.

• Extensive indoor and outdoor play areas for all ages, featuring waterslides, splash zones, BBQs, and lawns.

• A café catering to both Aquatic Centre visitors and other Park 2 users.

• Gym and fitness facilities three times larger than originally planned.

• Spa, sauna, and steam room.

• Community change rooms.

Improved car parking with access from Jeffcott Road, enhanced public transport, pedestrian pathways, and cycle routes connecting the centre to existing networks.

The existing Adelaide Aquatic Centre currently incurs an annual cost of over $1 million for Adelaide City Council ratepayers.

However, the upcoming Aquatic Centre’s innovative design will return over a thousand square metres to open space and allow the new facility to be set back further from Barton Terrace West, thus enhancing its connectivity with the Park Lands and improving the amenity for residents.

Minister Koutsantonis, added “the plan we have developed in consultation with pool users and the broader community will also deliver significant benefits for ratepayers in the City of Adelaide – who will no longer have to spend more than a million dollars each year propping up a facility which is past its use-by-date.”

To accommodate this exciting development and minimise the impact of construction on the Park Lands, the South Australian Government and the City of Adelaide have agreed to close the existing Aquatic Centre during the major construction phase, from August 2024 until the project’s expected completion in the summer of 2025/26.

Image: The current concept for the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre.