The ACT Government has started work towards a hydrotherapy pool for Canberra’s south, with $250,000 allocated to the design, planning and costing phase of the project.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the Lakeside Leisure Centre at the Tuggeranong Town Centre is the preferred site for the hydrotherapy pool but the Active Leisure Centre at Erindale would also be looked at as a second option.
Ms Stephen-Smith said co-locating the pool with an established facility would mean benefits like shared front of house facilities, change rooms, car parking and plant equipment.
“We will engage with the community and stakeholders throughout this process to ensure we are delivering a modern facility that meets the needs of the community now and in the years to come,” she said.
“We’ll soon be contacting stakeholders and community members to begin the first stage of consultation.”
The delivery of the pool was an election promise from Labor. The funding for the design and planning work was allocated through the ACT Government’s COVID-19 stimulus package.
It comes after much campaigning from the community for a facility to service Canberra’s south after the Canberra Hospital pool at Garran was closed last year for safety reasons.
The ACT Government has provided funding for Arthritis ACT hydrotherapy sessions to continue after the closure; $305,000 over three years, providing for 645 additional hydrotherapy sessions a year at Aqua Harmony in Kambah.
The funding is in addition to the $239,000 per annum that Arthritis ACT currently receives from the ACT Government to provide services to the community including 614 hydrotherapy sessions a year.
Northside residents can access hydrotherapy services at the University of Canberra Hospital in Bruce.
