Recreation and Aquatic Facility update

The City is continuing to work with government and private sector partners to establish the required level of support for the RAF project. At the same time, work also continues on the pre-feasibility process. To enable the City to move to the next stage of the project, Council will consider a report on the RAF at the September meeting.

The report was originally due to be presented in July but was rescheduled to enable the City to further investigate and report on the preferred site to Council through workshops and briefings.

The purpose of the September report is to seek approval on the preferred site at Collier Park Golf Course and to move forward to the next stage of project planning.

Once the preferred site is confirmed, the City will finalise a business plan and funding strategy for the facility. 

Background

One of the key strategies within the City’s Strategic Community Plan 2017-2027 is to: plan for and promote the development of recreation and aquatic facilities to service community needs.

The current lack of indoor sporting facilities in the City, along with the need to determine the ongoing viability and long term use of George Burnett Leisure Centre (GBLC), Collier Park Golf Course and Richardson Reserve, and the strong community desire for an aquatic centre has led to the RAF feasibility project.

The prospect of an aquatic facility within the City has been under consideration for some years, with a number of studies, reports and submissions prepared and received. Conventional swimming pools however, require substantial ongoing financial subsidy to meet operational costs.

The integration of a number of sporting and recreation facilities into a single integrated venue would provide economies of scale in services provision, capital cost and ongoing operational costs. 

The City is therefore investigating the feasibility and funding opportunities for a multi-purpose recreation and aquatic facility (RAF) for the City of South Perth and surrounding area.