Tamworth Regional Council to pay $725,000 for full design and consultancy for CBD 'Adventure Pool'

Preliminary designs and planning approvals for the new 'Adventure Pool' on Kable Avenue are expected to set Tamworth Regional Council back hundreds of thousands of dollars to get the project "shovel ready".

A report, which will go before councillors on Tuesday, details the cost breakdown of replacing the old Olympic Swimming Pool with a "year-round" facility aimed at boosting the "attractiveness" of Bicentennial Park.

The report reveals council originally set aside $150,000 to fund planning and approvals, but the most recent estimate puts the price up to $725,000 for the "full design" and "consultancy costs".

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According to the report, council will only complete 20 per cent of the design "at this stage", which will cost $150,000, therefore "significantly reducing" the overall bill of more than $700,000.

This will mean the organisation will be able to go ahead with more "preliminary planning", if councillors agree to allocate a further $100,000 when they meet on Tuesday.

The additional cash will help cover a long list of assessments, consultants and surveys which will be required before council can submit a development application for the project.

Project management and council staff costs will require $20,000 and an assessment from the state's Royal Life Saving Society is expected to come in at $5000.

Engaging geo-technical consultants, leisure consultant support, and environmental and planning consultants will come at a cost of $50,000.

A topographical survey will set council back $5,000, and $20,000 will go towards "preliminary contingency".

A tender is yet to be awarded for a "lead designer".

But it is anticipated once the architect completes the first 20 per cent of the detailed design, they will be contracted to bring the plans up to 90 per cent mark, if "full project funding" is obtained.

It's proposed the new complex will include a lagoon style pool, splash area, change room facilities, social and recreational spaces and a cafe.

In March, the Leader revealed the $12 million pool is expected to be free for swimmers to lap up.

Once the designs have been finalised, approvals will need to first be assessed by council itself, and then by the Regional Planning Panel.

According to the report, the development consent process could be "lengthy", and take more than a year to complete.

The development application will be put on public exhibition and open to community comment for 28 days.

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