As the Merrylands population continues to soar, Cumberland Council has said the “time is now” to upgrade a well-loved local pool.
Merrylands Swimming Centre is set to receive some much-needed upgrades after Council agreed to put $14.6 million towards its refurbishment.
In the latest Council Meeting, Councillor Michael Zaiter said $14 million is a “great first step” to deliver the transformation of the pool, which was originally built in 1968.
“This particular facility is in desperate need of modernisation, if we pass this particular allocation from our capitol works budget it will be the largest potential injection into this particular pool since the construction of the pool,” Zaiter said.
“It’s going to take a number of years for us to accumulate the funds required to modernise this pool, but first we need to determine how much money we need.”
Supporting the motion, Cr Ola Hamed said the Merrylands Swimming Centre is an important community asset and that it’s now time for a modern recreation aquatic centre in Merrylands.
“It’s an aging facility and therefore problems continue to surface such as plant equipment failures and band-aid solutions only cost Council more money in the long run,” she said.
“Cumberland residents do deserve more than just basic facilities and should feel proud of where they live.
“The Merrylands pool unfortunately in its current state obviously does not achieve this.”
Hamed said the current lane ropes of the pool are in poor form, the change rooms are not up to standard and that the filtration system does not comply with the current New South Wales health requirements.
“Addressing these issues will no doubt make a difference in ensuring a more pleasant experience for swimmers,” she added.
Cr Steve Christou said Merrylands pools has been in need of an upgrade for the last 25 years.
“If we don’t fix this pool what’s going to happen is we’re going to lose the pool, because near it we have Wenworthville pool newly refurbished, up the road we’ll have the brand new Parramatta pool,” he said.
“That’s why it’s vital to fix this pool, provide our local community with the amenities required to the standard of living that they expect from this Council.”
Raising concerns over how long it will take to fix the pool, Christou added that he doesn’t want the swimming pool upgrades to just be a “pipe dream”.
“I believe the pool possibly won’t be completed until year 2027, 2028,” he said.
“I think we should be looking at options at how we can possibly get a bit more funding and to accelerate the fixing up of the pool because as we heard tonight we do not have enough funds for the pool to be completed before the years 2027 or 2028.”
The motion was supported unanimously by the Chamber.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.