NEWCASTLE council has defended its plan to concrete the Newcastle Ocean Baths pool floor, but a user group remains concerned sand will not accumulate on it.
The council unveiled final designs for the pool and promenade upgrade this week as it issued a tender call for a construction contractor.
The designs followed two previous versions released for feedback.
A contentious aspect is the planned capping of the floor, which is currently "undulating rock" covered by a layer of sand.
The sandy bottom is valued for wading and users have flagged concerns that both raising the pool walls and capping the floor may result in sand not building as thoroughly as it does now. They have pointed to the Merewether baths main pool, which has a concrete floor, as an example.
Friends of Newcastle Ocean Baths (FONOB), a group set up to stop the bath's pavilion being privatised, said this week that the council had not produced evidence conditions for waders would not be altered, including not completing a wave overtopping study.
In response, the council said a concrete floor would provide "a flat, safe surface that will set a maximum pool depth when sand levels are low while also allowing for improved water quality".
"The current water quality is an issue the FONOB have repeatedly complained about. By concreting over the rock bottom, we will significantly improve water quality.
"This is a decision that has been welcomed by the community reference group set up to oversee the design. Only FONOB have objected and even then, belatedly."
The existing pool deck will be raised by 20-30 centimetres. FONOB has questioned whether this is being done because the pool floor is being raised by a similar height, but the council maintains it is because of climate change.
"The baths and specifically the new pool deck have been designed with a 50-year life in mind, which means we need to account for rising sea levels," it said.
"The Newcastle Coastal Zone Hazards Study 2014 shows likely coastal inundation hazards for 2050 and 2100 ... [and] clearly identifies 'wave overtopping volumes can be expected to increase and wave overtopping events become more frequent in the future'.
"Sand will continue to accumulate in the pool via natural ocean processes as it does currently. Last year, so much sand made its way in ... over 1000 tonnes ... was removed."
The council also refuted a suggestion lifeguards were unhappy with the location of a watch post, which was pummelled in heavy swell this week, saying it was "designed in consultation" with them and offered the "best sightlines". It was mainly for sun protection and would not be used in big swell.
