Pool demolition scheduled for next year

DON Tatnell Leisure Centre will be knocked down next year.

The Parkdale aquatic centre shut in February 2020 after structural issues were discovered. Kingston Council’s decision to replace the pool at a new site instead of rebuilding the existing centre sparked community protest.

Council has announced that it intends to move forward with the demolition in 2023. Kingston mayor Hadi Saab said, “the experts have made it clear that the building can’t be retained, and we are acting on that advice.”

A statement from Kingston Council read that Don Tatnell Leisure Centre closed “on the orders of the municipal building surveyor. Further expert inspections and reports undertaken since that time have confirmed the failure of the building, determining that it can’t be retained, easily remediated or repurposed.”

“The aim is to return the site to open green space for the community, with design and necessary alterations to be made to the adjoining Mordialloc Community Hub to ensure all current building and code compliance matters are addressed in the process,” council says.

Last year Kingston Council executed an option deed worth $14.6 million for a site at 1-7 Wells Road, which will be used for the new aquatic centre. The project was costed at between $40 million and $50 million in 2021 – Kingston Council now expects that it will cost much more, The News understands. The federal government will contribute $20 million to the project.

Saab said, “planning for our new, district level aquatic and leisure centre is progressing well, and we are looking forward to delivering this once in a generation facility for our community around the corner on Governor Road in Mordialloc.”

For more information visit yourkingstonyoursay.com.au/aquatic-facility-plan

First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 21 December 2022