Tide turns on wading pool plan

Children will continue to be without a wading pool at Bellambi Beach, following a cost-cutting and safety decision by Wollongong City Council.

An original wading pool was damaged more than 10 years ago in a storm and has never been fixed or replaced.

Council has identified the need to address the beleaguered state of many local pools.

Towradgi pool was given a facelift last year and now Bellambi Rock Pool is topping the list for a scheduled revamp.

But original plans to include the wading pool in the improvements have been scrapped.

Acting Manager of Infrastructure at Wollongong City Council Glen Whittaker said a combination of cost and safety issues lead to the decision.

“It’s inherent (that with a) toddler’s pool in the ocean environment you’ve got to question the risk,” he said.

“(Council) did a design for small replacement (pool) but the risk study was done at the same time and the two coincided that it probably wasn’t an idea to provide it.”

A Council report on the pool said none of the options put forward for a children’s pool were achievable within the allocated budget. Mr Whittaker also said there had not been significant community concern put to council about the wading pool in the 10 years that it has been broken.

“Normally you hear large community angst if there is an issue,” he said.

Mr Whittaker said the community will have the chance to have their say when the development application for the refurbishment of the area is submitted.

Towradgi man Neil Warren uses Bellambi Rock Pool frequently and is a casual Lifeguard at local pools.

He said in a coastal area like the Illawarra it is important people have somewhere to take their children to familiarise them with the water.

“A lot of the people there in Bellambi have a low socio-economic status and they’re not going to pay to go to Corrimal Pool,” he said.

Mr Warren said there isn’t much else to do in Bellambi for young people besides going to the pool.

Council’s new plans for the area are for a coastal protection wall to replace the wading pool and to refurbish the 50m concourse leading to the facility.

Works are set to begin as soon as all the approvals have been obtained. The upgrade has been budgeted at $530,000.