Brown Hill outdoor swimming pool could permanently close under City of Ballarat plan for recreation reserve

The City of Ballarat on Wednesday announced it will soon vote on a recommendation to decommission the ageing pool at Brown Hill Recreation Reserve and replace it with a splash park, citing lack of use and more than $1 million in repairs required to bring it up to standard.

A council media release stated the facility is the least visited pool in Ballarat and "extensive" community consultation informed the proposal to decommission it, at a cost of $231,000.

The Brown Hill Recreation Reserve Draft Master Plan proposes to replace the pool with a splash park similar to those at Midlands Reserve and Victory Park, plus new toilet facilities, a basketball half court, grassed and shaded areas, and new seating.

"Compared to pools, Splash Parks in Ballarat receive far greater usage, can open for longer hours as staffing requirements and temperature policy are not applicable, and can also be converted into usable community spaces during winter months," the release stated.

"The Brown Hill Outdoor Pool recorded 1073 visitors during the 2022-23 summer season through until the end of January 2023," it continued.

"The cost of operating the pool is also high, with each visit resulting in an average operating cost of $11.95, higher than Black Hill ($9.39), Buninyong ($6.62) and Eureka ($5.79)."

The council will consider the plan at its meeting next week, and community members are already discussing ways to delay its adoption until they can negotiate a better result.

Long-term resident Sue Broadway told The Courier individual submissions and public questions to the council as well as a petition were among the methods being considered to encourage retention and repair of the pool or else "enhance the [alternative] activities available for older children" at the reserve.

Ms Broadway has been visiting the pool since childhood - her father was involved in digging the hole for it back in the beginning - and said community members had "a lot of emotional attachment to it".

She said the council's consultation could not be relied on as it only included Brown Hill residents did not take into account the value of the pool to the wider Ballarat community.

She encouraged community members to attend the council meeting next Wednesday to show they would not let the pool go quietly.

"I know a pool's expensive, but at what cost to the community if we lose it?" Ms Broadway said.

"Once community-owned assets are taken away from the area, they don't get replaced.

"What I would like to see is the draft plan put on hold so we could further explore what our options are and have a better facility for the use of Brown Hill residents."

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If the pool could not be retained, Ms Broadway wanted to see "higher value" facilities in its place than those currently proposed.

She supported the idea of a splash park, but said more activities were needed for older children, especially with "a lot of housing development going on" in the area.

"If we have to lose the pool, I want it replaced with recreational facilities that will engage people between the age of say five and 15," she said.

"I'm afraid the reserve will have a lesser value to the community with the splash park without any other infrastructure being put in of significant value.

"A half court basketball court is good, but is that sufficient to offset the loss of the pool? I don't think it is."

The council notes Eureka Pool and Black Hill Pool are within 2.4 kilometres of the Brown Hill Pool, and a new indoor pool operated by the YMCA in nearby Water Street also provides swimming lessons.

According to the officer's report prepared for next week's meeting, it would cost $231,000 to de-commission the pool and re-instate the site for delivery of the splash park development, compared to "a minimum of $1.3 million to be restored to its fully functioning condition".

Other key elements in the reserve master plan include an extended path network to link key infrastructure, an improved play space, and improved oval surface with drainage and irrigation.

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