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The recently formed Inner West Council in Sydney has approved a $14 million redevelopment of the Ashfield Aquatic Centre and a $6 million upgrade to the Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre in its first budget.

Originally opened in 1963, the 50 metre Ashfield swimming pool had been deemed to be at the end of its technical life and required major repairs or replacement.

In 2007, the former Ashfield Council first identified the poor condition of the various components of the indoor and outdoor pools at the Centre, concluding that there would need to be a significant funding allocated to keep the facilities at an appropriate usable standard and to meet the NSW Department of Health Guidelines for Public Swimming Pools.

The technical reports in particular indicated the 50 metre outdoor pool was at the end of its life and required major repairs or replacement. The likely cost to continue to keep all of the current pools open safely was estimated at $5 to $7 million over 10 years.

As a result, the Council resolved to redevelop the Centre with an additional new 25 metre indoor pool, a new outdoor 50 metre pool, a new competition standard water-polo pool and a new grassed passive recreation area.

Work on the redevelopment is set to begin in the coming weeks with completion scheduled by December next year.

The Ashfield Aquatic Centre has over 350,000 customers per year and also hosts a highly successful swim school, which has an average of 15,000 visits per month.

Inner West Council Administrator Richard Pearson says the newly formed Council is committed to delivering major projects and infrastructure of the formwer councils, with the budgets agreed by the former Councils having been carried over in their entirity.

Image shows the Ashfield Aquatic Centre prior to its refurbishment.

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