Newcastle council will push the state government and opposition for a new indoor pool at a cost of roughly $80-$100m million.
The city's Labor councillors will raise the request at Tuesday's Newcastle council meeting, vowing to create a public petition seeking a commitment for the aquatic centre, which would serve the entire region similar to Hunter Sports Centre at Glendale.
The council would also write to Venues NSW for confirmation that land will be preserved within the Hunter Park precinct to enable a year-round aquatic facility.
An indoor swimming pool has been on the city's wishlist for years, however the concept is being pushed again ahead of next year's state election.
The council had previously investigated upgrading Lambton Pool, before the state government released a concept plan of Hunter Park in 2019 which showed an aquatic facility would be included.
Deputy lord mayor Declan Clausen told the Herald last year it would be "irresponsible of council to waste many, many tens of millions of dollars upgrading the Lambton facility while a new, NSW government pool could be built a few hundred metres away at Broadmeadow".
The cost of funding a new pool would be close to council's entire capital works spend last year.
"Our pool facilities are ageing, and substantial investment is needed to deliver the year-round aquatic facility our community expects and deserves," Labor councillor Peta Winney-Baartz said.
"A project as significant as this cannot be left to our local community and council to fund alone."
The report to council notes the NSW government had provided "significant" funding toward pool upgrades or redevelopments elsewhere in the state. The government chipped in $38.5 million towards an $88.6 million pool at Parramatta, while $51 million of combined state and federal funding went to a $69 million aquatic centre in Eurobodalla.
The councillors want a commitment that an aquatic centre will be either built at Hunter Park as a priority project, or somewhere else in the city if it is no longer included in those plans.
Waratah resident Mark Hoskinson has been a strong advocate for the city to receive a year-round pool.
After a hip replacement last year, he swims roughly five days a week in the city's ocean baths but uses private pools during winter.
"We swim at the baths up until about April and we've just started back again," he said. "It's still a bit cold now.
"The option in winter is private pools which are obviously more expensive. I'm surprised Newcastle council hasn't got one that's funded."
Councillors will discuss the petition at an open day at Lambton Pool on Sunday to celebrate the opening of the new waterslide.
