History

The Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool, formally the Caufield Memorial Pool, was built in 1966. It was a much-loved part of Glen Eira and many generations of the community grew up at the pool.

In November 2020, just after the pool opened for the summer season, we identified a significant leak. After professional investigations were undertaken, it was determined the pool had reached the end of its practical life and it would not be economical to repair it.

The redevelopment of Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool had been part of Council’s forward planning for some time, and the plans were brought forward after the leak was discovered.

Community consultation

Prior to the pool closing in 2020, we consulted with the community in 2015, 2018, 2019 and early 2020 to gain an understanding of what was important to the community for the redevelopment. We also created a Community Reference Group in December 2019 to help guide the design development process.

The feedback we collected from the group and throughout these extensive engagement processes helped inform the designs for the new facility.

From October 2019 to January 2020, we asked the community to vote on the proposed designs for the centre. A total of 1,364 community members took part in this consultation. The majority (73.5%) voted for Option B, a "redeveloped swim centre with indoor and outdoor pools and an outdoor diving pool". At the Ordinary Council Meeting on the 25 February 2020, Council endorsed Option B as the concept design.

We consulted with the community again from 1 July to 12 August 2020. During this time, we asked for your feedback on the concept design for the redevelopment. The concept design included indoor and outdoor pools, an outdoor dive pool and increased wet and dry wellness facilities. We received a strong, positive response to the concept design. Most comments were minor and were considered and incorporated where possible. Council endorsed the concept design on 1 September 2020, and design development continued. A final round of community consultation occurred on the detailed design in May 2021 and the detailed design was endorsed by Council on 29 June 2021.

Heritage Victoria nomination review

The project was put on hold in mid-2021 after a member of the community submitted a Victorian Heritage Register nomination for the Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool. Initially, the nomination was dismissed by Heritage Victoria, but the nominator appealed the decision, with the Heritage Council putting aside the previous determination by Heritage Victoria and directing the initiation of a formal assessment by way of a hearing.

The hearing was conducted by Heritage Council in May 2022, which was proceeded by a 90-day statutory period. Council received a determination from Heritage Council on 11 August 2022, which found that the centre was not of State-level heritage significance, and that it should not be included in the Victorian Heritage Register. This brought the delay period of 12 months, in total, to a close.

During this period of delay, Council finalised the detailed plans in readiness for tender, obtained commitments of grant funding as part of the 2022 Federal election, undertook a further review of the business case and completed an Expression of Interest (EOI) process to test interest from the market regarding attracting a suitable, qualified builder.

Tender process for head contractor

Following the extensive EOI process concluded for the builder, the Request for Tender process began in September 2022. Council awarded the contract to ADCO Constructions Pty Ltd in December 2022. With nearly 50 years' of experience, ADCO is one of Australia's oldest and most established construction companies. Council is excited to partner with this industry leader on the project.

Construction commenced in early 2023 and is scheduled to conclude in late 2024.