Frequently asked questions – Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool

Yes. The construction has now been scheduled for early 2023, with the centre to open by summer 2024/25. This is significantly later than originally planned primarily due to a member of the community submitting a Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) nomination for CMSP. Council received a determination from the Heritage Council on 11 August 2022 which brought the delay period of 12 months, in total, to a close.

Demolition works started Monday 27 February and will take approximately 3 to 4 weeks. 

At this stage, construction is due to be completed in December 2024.

Following the completion of construction, there will be a bump-in period where Glen Eira Leisure will start to prepare the centre for opening, setting up new systems and training new staff.

It is anticipated the new centre will open following that transition period, during summer 24/25.

Following demolition, the two indoor pools and building will be constructed first with the outdoor pools will following on from this. The internal fit out of the building will happen toward the end of the construction process with civil works and landscaping happening concurrently.

It is quicker and more efficient for the redevelopment to be delivered all at once. It will also cause less disruption to neighbours and other locals in the area for the construction to happen over one set period. Breaking the redevelopment into phases would also incur additional costs to the project.

All major infrastructure and building projects present construction risk. The contractor for the redevelopment will be required to develop a construction management and environmental management plan which will include measures to mitigate impacts of construction on the surrounding residents, for the duration of the redevelopment. These mitigation measures are likely to consider the timing of works, traffic impacts and management, waste management and acoustic measures.

Dust will be managed by frequent watering down of site and covering of stockpiles with plastic sheeting. It is anticipated that the most dust will occur during demolition phase of the works. Air quality will be closely monitored by the builder.

Site hours are Monday to Friday, 7am to 5.30pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm. The builder is required to adhere to all residential noise regulations.

During peak construction periods, the maximum number of workers will be up to 100. However, the arrival and departure times of workers will be staggered.

Council acknowledges there are challenges with vehicle access in the local area due to narrow streets, particularly at busy times such as school pick up/drop off and sports club games and training. The contractor does require the entire existing carpark to be hoarded for the duration of the construction to prevent dust and noise, and to complete ongoing works to underground services throughout the carpark area.

Council’s traffic engineer has reviewed the traffic management plan and is satisfied that the hoarding does not increase any driver or pedestrian safety risk. It has been set back on the corner of Moira Avenue and Lyons Street to ensure line of site is maintained. 

Further treatments to redirect pedestrians to the footpath on the opposite site to the hoarding on Lyons Street are also being implemented.

The hoarding will take up the whole footpath and the pathway will be diverted to the other side of the street during construction.

Trucks will now be using Munro Ave to access the site due to inadequate clearance of overhead electrical cables servicing properties in Mimosa Rd and Reserve Ave.  

The builder will engage traffic management services for large/wide heavy vehicles to ensure the safety of other road users and pedestrians. The site access gate on Moira Avenue is site entrance. The builder will be scheduling heavy vehicle access to occur outside of busy times, where possible (ie. school drop off and pick up times).

Council and the builder, ADCO will work closely with the Level Crossing Removal Project to ensure any impacts are managed.

The builder will require ongoing access to the existing pool car park to undertake works during the construction of the new facility. The existing car park will be fenced off with timber hoarding to ensure safety and will form part of the construction site.

Council is investigating some other parking options and will monitor any parking capacity-related issues closely.

No, parking will be provided within the site compound for the builder and trades.

Moira Avenue will stay open during construction. Council will review the plan to close Moira Avenue when the centre is up and running, and the real data is available to assess the site conditions.

Yes, the Toy Library will remain open.

The frog will be salvaged along with anything else that can be re-used or re-purposed. Council will investigate if the frog slide can be restored and re-used somewhere else nearby.

Properties directly opposite the construction site are being offered an existing condition assessment prior to construction commencing. This is a standard practice undertaken for large construction projects and Council does not anticipate any damage to neighbouring properties as a result of the works being undertaken.

Yes, a small electrical sub-station kiosk will be installed near the corner of Moira Avenue and Lyons Street which will be 2m wide x 1.2m high.

Yes, soil will be re-used to construct the earth berms which encase the building. This soil stockpile will be relocated temporarily behind the construction site in Koornang Park (near the outdoor fitness equipment). This area will be fenced off for safety reasons and the soil will be capped with plastic sheeting. No trees will be disrupted or damaged due to the stockpiled soil. The gate near the toy library will be used to access the soil. The soil will be stockpiled until early next year.

Any removal of soil during the construction will be done safely, in line with the strict guidelines enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the contractor’s environmental management plan. This will be to ensure any existing contamination risks are mitigated.

Construction contacts:

24-hour emergency contact 1300 232 628 

Council contact:

Frank Romania — Senior Project Manager
Email: projects@gleneira.vic.gov.au
Phone: 9524 3333

We understand affordability and value for money are important to the community as identified through the community consultation process, which will be key driver in determining entry fees. The pricing structure and model is yet to be decided, however, a focus for all Glen Eira Leisure facilities is value for the community; there will be a range of different types of memberships on offer.

The hours of operation have not yet been determined.

The redevelopment will see Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool become an all-year-round aquatic and leisure facility, with a range of services for a broader section of the community, including proposed indoor pools, spas, saunas and fitness rooms to accommodate the winter months. The inclusion of the movable floor provides flexibility for an indoor lap swimming during winter, as well as the learn-to-swim program. At this stage, it is likely the outdoor 50m pool, dive pool and splash pad will only be available seasonally.

The waterplay area will offer a mix of water-based activities, water toys, and themed zones for children and families. The type of activities and toys in this area have not yet been decided.

In designing the new facility, Council ensured the design would allow school swimming carnivals to continue when the facility reopens. The grassed area on the Eastern Hill next to the 50m outdoor pool will be able to accommodate students, parents and teachers. There are partially shaded areas and the new internal spaces can provide protection from significant weather events.

At this stage it is anticipated buses will drop students off in Munro Avenue and students will enter the site through a new side gate.

The café will be open to anyone who would like to come into the centre including pool users or people who just want to purchase something from the café. We are also exploring the possibility of a portable coffee pod that can be wheeled out in front of the café at peak times, making it easier for park users or visitors to purchase a coffee and/or snack.

The number of barbeques is yet to be confirmed.

Proposed programs at pool will be carefully planned considering scheduled bookings of the ovals and pavilions for sports and events.

Council undertook extensive modelling to understand future demand for parking when the new centre opens. Modelling indicates there will be adequate parking provided in the plans for the new centre which includes accommodating peak demand.

Council appointed CO-OP Studio to design the redevelopment. CO-OP Studio has proven experience in designing leisure and aquatic centres, multi-sports complex and pavilions including Stromlo Leisure Centre, Sunbury Aquatic Centre, La Trobe Sports Park, Peter Mathieson Pavilion and HE Parker Multi-Sports Complex. For more information on CO-OP Studio, visit www.co-opstudio.com.au

The latest phase of community consultation sought feedback on the detailed design. The proposed design was supported by the community. The new year-round aquatic and leisure facility will be one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable pools in the world. It will be designed and constructed to a 6 Star Green Star rating with climate resilience, low energy operations and maximum water efficiency. The new facility will include:

• indoor and outdoor pools
• an outdoor diving pool
• learn-to-swim programs, a therapeutic
• warmwater pool and numerous allied health services
• a café, barbecue, and shaded seating areas
• allied health treatment rooms
• program rooms for classes such as yoga and Pilates
• retention of design references to the past such as the post-war style signage, the red brick and retaining the eastern hill.

The design is available for the community to view: Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool​ Plans

There have been minor adjustments made to the plans, which was picked up as part of the final review prior to the tender conducted in mid to late 2022. An adjustment was made to the layout of the southern end of the carpark, abutting Lyons Street. One of the exits has been shifted further to the west, closer to the loading bay, and the parking has been flipped from off-street parking to on-street 90-degree parking.

The slightly modified design will also allow Council to complete the connection of the pedestrian perimeter path around the reserve, improving safety outcomes. In the previous plans, pedestrians had to walk through the carpark.

Another adjustment was made in the inclusion of secured bike storage and rubbish bin storage at the southern end of the site.

The redevelopment of Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool a is a large and complex project, resulting in many minor changes which have taken place throughout the design process. All design changes are assessed in terms of community impact, and it is not possible to consult the community on every minor change that occurs.

In this case, one of the changes was to address a significant safety risk to pedestrians and Council has an obligation to ensure the designs of any future facility, offer the safest possible configuration.

Council will always consult the community where there has been a major, substantial change to the design.

The design phase is now complete after several rounds of community consultation, and the design is now finalised.

Yes, there will also be changing places facilities.

We will go above Disability Discrimination Act standards to enhance the user experience and ensure that every centre staff member has the skills to assist customers who have additional needs. The current design incorporates a changing places facility and universal access to all aspects of the facility.

The design also includes a splash pad which offers a fantastic experience for children of all ages and abilities.

The new 50m outdoor pool will be a bit wider and deeper than the old pool however will sit within the same space.

The current centre has two 1m dive boards and two 3m dive boards. The proposed dive pool is a similar size to the existing dive pool however there is only one 1m dive board and one 3m dive board.

While this may seem like a reduction in the number of people who can dive per hour, it is a requirement of Lifesaving Victoria’s regulations that only one person is in the dive pool at a time, and this person must exit the pool before the next person dives. The only way to increase the number of people who can dive per hour within the regulations would be to increase the number of separate diving pools — not the number of dive boards.

Yes, some areas outside will be partially shaded including a section over the outdoor 50m pool. Additionally, there will be dedicated wet weather protection areas located near the café. At certain times of the day there will be a shadow on the outdoor pool cast by the swim centre. The building will start casting a shadow on the pool from approximately 5.30pm, and the pool will be completely shaded over by 8pm. The outdoor pool has been designed so that it will receive maximum sunlight throughout the day.

The new centre will establish connections with the reserves broadly, with the main entrance to the centre off the existing car park.

The existing hill has been retained and additional shade structures have been proposed in the detailed design to protect the turf and provide covered area for patrons.

The redevelopment has been designed to upgrade the landscaping with planting of additional trees and additional landscape features such planters. Additional green spaces and native vegetation have also been proposed around the earth berms and through the open space within the facility. There will be a colourful wildflower garden located outside of the entrance to the centre. Maintaining and encouraging biodiversity is at the forefront of this project and the outdoor landscaping has been considered carefully.

The design aims to retain existing trees where possible but unfortunately some will need to be removed to facilitate better open space for the swim centre’s users.

During construction, a total of 29 trees will be removed, however, 66 trees will be replanted.

The landscape architects have worked closely with the design team and Council to formulate the repopulation of more trees. Biodiversity within the site will have significantly increased at the completion of this project. To boost biodiversity, we will plant at least two new trees for every tree that must be removed.

Landscaping including native shrubs, plants and trees will be provided to the berm area around the building as well as the pool concourse area and the car park area.

In line with our commitment to Environmentally Sustainable Design, we are exploring opportunities to incorporate sustainable features with the aim to power the entre entirely from renewable energy. Further work is being undertaken to understand what is possible for this centre.

Council engaged an Environmentally Sustainable Design consultant to ensure we go above and beyond the minimum standards required. We have a Community Plan commitment that five percent of the project costs will be spent on Environmentally Sustainable Design initiatives. The facility will encompass an all-electric solution which will run completely from renewable energy, incorporating significant onsite solar PV. The new facility will also be designed for climate resilience, low energy operation and water resilience – incorporating significant rainwater harvesting tanks.

The ‘earth berm’ as proposed in the current detailed design will insulate the building, enabling the centre to be much more efficient, providing additional open space for native vegetation to be planted, as well assisting to achieve the low-profile form of the building which is set into the park landscape. Urban Forest Strategy targets for canopy cover in the new carpark will also be achieved within the design.

Yes. The new Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool will aim to achieve a 6 Star Green Star certification.

Achieving a high Green Star rating ensures there is a higher standard of environmental quality within the new Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool and demonstrates in practice Council’s commitment to sustainable building design. Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool will be the second aquatic centre in Australia to achieve a 6 Star Green Star certification.

During the concept design phase, the community supported the proposal of earth berms as they not only help in retaining the heritage and character of the space but also act as a natural sound barrier. The earth will act as acoustic insulation and prevent excessive noise for nearby neighbours.

Internal acoustic insulation and materials have been included in the design to reduce the impact of noise within the centre, but also to the community. The earth berms which wrap around the three external faces of the building will also reduce the impact of noise to the community from within the building but also from the outdoor pools.

No. The loading dock and plant room will be accessed directly from the reconfigured carpark.

Modern design and construction practices as well as a regular maintenance and renewal regime will significantly reduce the risk of any leaks in the future.

Council appointed traffic consultants One Mile Grid to collect current traffic and parking data in the local area, and to undertake extensive modelling to predict future changes to local traffic and parking because of the new centre. The analysis found future traffic volumes, parking supply and intersection performance will be well within the relevant guidelines and will not create excessive issues.  The work of One Mile Grid was peer-reviewed by another traffic consultancy, Traffix, to ensure the methodology and findings were robust and that the community could have confidence in the findings.

Council has also worked closely with the Community Reference Group to understand the day-to-day experience of local residents. The group has identified a number of opportunities to improve local traffic and parking and each suggestion is being considered as part of a local traffic study, by Council’s traffic engineering team.

The traffic and parking reports were shared with the community as part of the last consultation. Development of an integrated transport plan is also underway to identify environmentally friendly ways to travel to the redeveloped centre.

Careful consideration was given to when and how traffic and parking data was collected to ensure the best possible data collection was obtained within the everyday limitations of the local area including weather, and local events. The data collection was undertaken during the winter in 2019 and early summer 2019 and late summer 2020. Days and periods of higher demand were selected to obtain an accurate understanding of the current traffic and parking patterns.

Yes, there will be more parking available in the area when the new centre opens due to the Lord Reserve Koornang Park Masterplan proposing additional parking bays in Munro Avenue and Lyons Street. The existing number of parking spaces in the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool will be retained in a reconfigured carpark. The final Lord Reserve Koornang Park Masterplan is available for the community to review.

Yes. The detailed parking projections set out in the report shows that the carpark and nearby precinct parking provides sufficient parking for visitors to the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool and other users of the Lord Reserve and Koornang Park precinct in summer and winter. 

The Traffic Impact Assessment report concludes that the site has excellent public transport access including Glen Huntly and Carnegie train stations, the No.67 tram and a number of bus routes.

Council has recently declared a climate emergency with the ambitious target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2025. This will help to guide decision making regarding the redevelopment.

Council will revisit the statutory processes for the closure of Moira Avenue when the centre is open and the real data is available to assess the site conditions

Built in 1966, the buildings and pools are now at the end of their serviceable life and need to be replaced. The filtration systems are inefficient, and the buildings cannot be easily modified to meet universal access standards. The centre needs a complete redevelopment to ensure it meets contemporary and accessibility standards and can service our growing community.

In November 2020, just after the pool had opened for the summer season, a catastrophic leak was identified contributing to the loss of 150 kilolitres (150,000 litres) of water per day. When chlorinated water escapes through a leak in a pool, it can damage metal components within the pool structure and affect the stability and strength of the structure, which is why it was important the pool was either closed or repaired as soon as possible.

The cost of repairing the pool was significant and the pool would have been closed for major works during Summer. It would not have been a financially responsible decision for Council to fix the leak and then need to demolish the pool shortly after.

The existing centre has been demolished, with the new centre remaining within the footprint of the existing site. In keeping with the overarching Lord Reserve and Koornang Park Masterplan, the proposed design will create more useable space and improved landscaped areas.

From October 2019 to January 2020, 1,364 people voted, selecting one of three proposed options. Option B, a “redeveloped swim centre with indoor and outdoor pools and an outdoor diving pool” was the community’s preferred option with 73.5% of the total vote. At the Ordinary Council Meeting on the 25 February 2020, Council endorsed Option B.

The latest community consultation identified that it is important to the community that the new centre remains within the footprint, size and structure of the existing pool and does not become a larger centre equivalent to the size and scale of Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre (GESAC). The redeveloped swim centre will sit on the existing building footprint, within the existing fence lines.

Our community is growing, and the redevelopment will broaden the facilities at Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool to cater for the additional all year-round demand for aquatic and leisure facilities by providing:

• More opportunities to improve physical and mental wellbeing, specifically through learn-to-swim and other programs.
• Improved user experience of the facilities.
• Enhanced community feel and connectedness while still enjoying the essential elements which contribute to the current swim centre’s character
• A more sustainable facility with improved accessibility.

The centre is designed to complement GESAC and to ease the pressure on GESACs learn to swim and warm water programming as demand has increased significantly due to growth in the municipality.

Council appointed a Community Reference Group in late 2019, consisting of 12 local representatives to help guide the project through planning, design and implementation of the Masterplan projects including the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool Redevelopment. To date, the Community Reference Group has met seven times and provided the views of residents into the project and into the recommendations before Council. Council will continue to engage with the Community Reference Group throughout the project.

Council has incorporated community feedback received from every phase of consultation to inform the current design. This specifically includes the floorplan and inclusion of pool configurations, landscaping, materials and elements to be retained from the existing centre.

The new project budget is a total of $75,319,095 (excluding GST) which includes the construction costs and well as the contingency, authority fees, consultant fees and capitalisation costs.

Significant construction market impacts over the past 12 months have resulted in price escalations. The supply chain backlog and resource shortages due to COVID, coupled with natural disasters (flooding in northern Australia), inflation of consumer price index and global political unrest has resulted in major delays and huge price increases for materials like steel and timber.

Since 2020, there has been several applications made for State Government funded grant programs.  In 2021, Council was notified of its successful application to the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) for grant funding of $110,000.00 to be provided for the construction and fit out of Changing Places facilities at the new centre.

The project was also successful in qualifying for funding through the 2020–21 Community Sports Infrastructure Loans Scheme. The scheme provides low-interest, government-guaranteed loans of between $500,000 and $10m to councils, clubs, associations, educational institutions and facility managers to develop high-quality community sport and active recreation infrastructure. Council will receive a loan of $10m for the redevelopment.

Additionally, Council was successful in securing an election commitment of $15m as part of the recent Federal election and are now seeking a $10m commitment from the Victorian Government during the 2022 State election campaign.

A planning permit is not required.

The consultant team engaged by Council has worked closely with Melbourne Water to address the requirements of the Special Building Overlay and has satisfied these requirements in the best interest of the project and the community.

In 2021, a member of the community submitted a Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) nomination for the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool (CMSP). Initially, the nomination was dismissed by Heritage Victoria (HV), but the nominator appealed the decision, with the Heritage Council (HC) putting aside the previous determination by HV and directing the initiation of a formal assessment by way of hearing.

During this time, Officers engaged Context (now known as GML Heritage) to undertake an independent heritage assessment of the place. The report deemed that Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool has social and historical significance at the local level and recommended that the place be included in the Schedule to the Heritage Overlay of the Glen Eira Planning Scheme as an individually significant place.

The context report suggested that the elements which contributed to the significance of the place were:

• The rectilinear footprint and set-back entry
• Brick materiality
• Open landscape character which includes paved and grassed areas
• The inclusion and location of separate intergenerational pools
• The ‘Hill’
• The retaining walls and steps clad in crazy paving
• Original signage

All these elements deemed as significant have been reflected in the current plans for redevelopment.

Council received a determination from the Heritage Council on 11 August 2022 which brought the delay period of 12 months, in total, to a close.

The Heritage Council found the place of local significance, from a social perspective, but not from an architectural perspective. The place was found to be not worthy of inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register but did refer for consideration for an amendment to a planning scheme for a local overlay.

The timing for such an overlay will need to be considered amongst several other heritage projects.

Council will continue to inform the community about the design and delivery of the redevelopment through Council's website, social media channels and letter drops.