On a hot night last week, I entered my apartment building and got in the lift for the ninth floor. To my surprise, the doors opened on eight and in came a father and his tiny daughter.
They were headed for the tenth floor – the roof. “She just wants a run around after dinner and there’s a lot of space up there,” he explained.
Welcome to life in our apartment city. Where a new generation of kids live in high-rise towers. Attend high-rise schools. And parents are forced to get creative as facilities like parks, playgrounds and swimming pools fail to keep pace.
Now that 40-degree temperatures are here, many families simply want to cool off.
No such luck in Parramatta, which is already an hour’s drive from the beach. The NSW Government took away Parramatta Pool in 2017 to make way for Bankwest Stadium – and then wasted years feuding with the City of Parramatta to fund a replacement.
As a result, the new pool won’t be ready until mid-2023 – an unacceptable outcome for a city our size.
With Wentworthville Pool also shut for repairs, that leaves Epping Pool as an oasis for many families in the Parramatta area. It’s a beautiful place to do a few laps, surrounded by gum trees and chirping birds. But the facilities at Dence Park need to be modernised.
So why are groups like Parra Parents and Epping Civic Trust voicing fears that families and children are set to be overlooked again?
The City of Parramatta has approved a draft redesign of Epping Pool, with works due to start in late 2022. The plan includes an eight-lane 50-metre outdoor pool; a 25-metre indoor pool for programs such as aqua-aerobics and learn-to-swim; a new lift and refurbished amenities building.
It all sounds terrific but not enough money is left over to construct family picnic facilities and a toddlers’ splash area (the existing kids’ pool is being removed). A promised café and gym will also be held over.
Sloppy scoping appears the culprit. Back in April, the council approved $12 million for an aquatic package that included a 20-metre indoor pool. Costings were quality assured at great length. Yet by October, it had changed its position to support a full 25-metre pool, despite knowing this would force other goodies at the site to be shelved.
Still, surely it is not impossible to find an extra $1 million and put parents and kids at ease?
The NSW Government, which has already provided the bulk of funds, could stump up the cash. Don’t ask the State Member for Epping – he’s only the Treasurer.
The City of Parramatta could dig deeper. Just weeks ago, its CEO released a statement citing council’s “strong financial position” and forecast $30 million surplus over coming years.
There is also a case to spread developer contributions around the city more evenly.
After all, Epping Pool is not just an asset for the people of Epping but the whole community.
The public has until December 7 to have its say on the pool.
So please send a message that public swimming facilities must be designed so kids of all ages can experience the joy of water – or they’re not worth designing at all.
Epping is already taking more than its fair share of high-rise – and it would be a travesty if summer relief for families and children had to wait.
Alan is a journalist and communications specialist. He writes a weekly column for Parra News.