Tamworth Regional Council pushing ahead with plans for $12 million Tamworth Adventure Pool and $60 million Aquatics and Leisure Centre

Tamworth Regional Council is moving ahead with ambitious plans to redevelop the Olympic Pool site into a $12 million Tamworth Adventure Pool with a lagoon-style pool, a splash play area and cafe.

The facility would be free-of-charge without fencing, with a focus on lifestyle and recreation, and cementing the city as a tourism destination.

The "more serious swimmers" would be catered for through a new $60 million Tamworth Regional Aquatics and Leisure Centre adjoining the Sports Dome with a 50m year-round pool, learn-to-swim pool and rehabilitation pool.

The city's pools have been at the centre of heated discussion since the idea for a new aquatic centre was first raised in 2018, but mayor Russell Webb said the community will still have a say on the final plans.

"The councillors will be working with, and talking to the community about what they want into the future," he said.

"The aquatics centre is a very expensive facility, and will need to be built in stages, with the first stage being a 50m pool.

"We will then build on that into the future."

READ ALSO:

The council still plans to include a Northern Inland Centre for Sports and Health in the aquatics centre, with a gym, sports testing lab, education rooms and allied health consulting rooms.

New concept designs for both facilities have been released, but after years of advocating for funding, state and federal governments are yet to jump on board.

"Regardless of what we do, we're going to need three levels of government funding these projects," Cr Webb said.

"This conversation has been going on for a long, long time but we're restarting it with one strategy but with two different aquatic facilities.

"The pool facility in town is reaching the end of its life, but we know there are people within the community that still want two pools in the city, so these are the conversations we need have."

While the projects have a price-tag on them at the moment, Cr Webb said by the time they're built they could increase by up to 40 per cent.

"We have to allow contingencies because prices are going up, the supply chain of materials and labour is really impacting on the ability for government to deliver projects on time and within budget," he said.

The plans are open for feedback from the community on council's website.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: