Council tensions reignite over Newcastle Ocean Baths pavilion upgrade

The tender to appoint a principal design consultant for the second stage, which will focus on the pavilion, was accepted at the September 26 Newcastle council meeting after debate about early concepts which include the possibility of adding a second storey and covering the open-air change rooms.

A user needs analysis said retaining open air change rooms had a "higher crime risk... due to the ability to access the area undetected after hours".

"Open-air facilities have no means of controlling/detecting or inhibiting the use of drones, meaning patrons within the change rooms are at risk of being targeted for unauthorised surveillance," the analysis said.

The report also found the redevelopment may be able to address a shortfall in larger sized community facilities over 400 square metres in the local area.

User group Friends of Newcastle Ocean Baths wants to retain the open-air change rooms and does not want a second storey, which Greens councillor Charlotte McCabe and Independent councillor John Church raised in the council meeting.

Cr McCabe said the drone risk could be addressed with a no-fly zone. She also said she did not receive relevant documents until the day of the meeting and there was no pre-meeting workshop on the tender proposal.

However lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said these were not new issues and they had been addressed in a report posted publicly on the council's website in May after consultation with the Newcastle ocean Baths community reference group.

She said there was "political gain to grandstand on this issue", which Cr McCabe objected to.

"This is not a decision point about what design we want, what design anybody wants, this is taking on all of the feedback of the community consultation that we've been doing this round since May," Cr Nelmes said.

"I understand you've had representations from the community about design changes they might want but we don't even have a design before us. We have to engage someone to do some concept designs to then have those very open and transparent conversations."

Cr Church said he was "simply reiterating some of the feedback I've received".

"That's my core responsibility as a councillor when people give me feedback, to use this chamber to make sure that those voices are heard," he said.

The debate comes after similar tensions between the Friends of Newcastle Ocean Baths and the council over concreting of the pool's rock floor during stage one of the upgrade.

The council's acting CEO David Clarke said engagement would continue with the community reference group, the elected council and the community over the next 12 to 18 months on the project.

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