In a staggering display of mismanagement, Liverpool City Council has allowed the Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre project to spiral into a financial disaster, with costs nearly doubling from an initial estimate to a jaw-dropping $100 million. This embarrassing budget blowout, coupled with infuriating delays, has forced a drastic revision of the once-ambitious masterplan for a state-of-the-art aquatic and recreational precinct in southwest Sydney. The community, already underserved by recreational facilities, is now left to bear the brunt of these failures as key features are slashed to fit a constrained budget. Let’s unpack the latest updates to the masterplan—recently placed on public exhibition—and expose what the residents of Liverpool are losing, as well as the potential impacts on their daily lives and local economy.
A Broken Promise: From Vision to Compromise
Originally heralded as a transformative project for Carnes Hill, the aquatic centre was set to include a 50-metre lap pool, an outdoor water play area, a spa, sauna, and a multi-use centre with gymnastics and fitness facilities. Secured with $53.4 million from the Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants Program last year, the project was meant to be fully funded, as promised by Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun. Yet, a review revealed the true cost had ballooned to $100 million, prompting a humiliating backtrack. The revised stage one of the masterplan, now pegged at $57.6 million (with an additional $4.265 million diverted from another project), strips away much of what made this facility a community cornerstone.
This latest betrayal has left the Public across Liverpool asking many questions in regard to how Council costings could have been so embarrassingly wrong?
According to the Carnes Hill Aquatic and Recreational Precinct Masterplan Design 2024 by Brewster Hjorth Architects, recently on public exhibition, the updated plan for the aquatic centre includes:
- A downgraded 25-metre, eight-lane pool instead of the promised 50-metre pool.
- A learn-to-swim pool and a leisure pool with a kids’ play area.
- Basic amenities such as a foyer, reception, retail, café, and outdoor concourse.
- Dedicated parking with 107 spaces and a bus drop-off area.
What the Community is Losing
The slashing of the Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre’s scope is nothing short of a betrayal for Liverpool residents, who were promised a world-class facility to address the dire shortage of recreational spaces in the area. Here’s a closer look at what’s being lost and how these cuts will ripple through the community:
- 50-Metre Pool Downgrade to 25 Metres: The reduction from a 50-metre lap pool to a mere 25-metre pool is a devastating blow. A 50-metre pool is the standard for competitive swimming and training, accommodating larger events and more swimmers. The smaller pool size will likely deter schools from hosting swimming carnivals at the facility, as it lacks the capacity and prestige of a full-sized Olympic-standard pool. This means local schools may need to travel further afield to venues like the future Austral Aquatic Centre, which is set to feature a 50-metre, 10-lane Olympic pool. The loss of such events translates to missed revenue for the council and ratepayers, as carnivals bring in income through entry fees, concessions, and local business patronage.
- Spa, Sauna, and Wellness Features Scrapped: The removal of the spa and sauna eliminates a key draw for families and older residents seeking relaxation and therapeutic benefits. These amenities would have positioned Carnes Hill as a year-round destination for health and leisure, not just a seasonal swimming spot. Without them, the facility risks becoming a bare-bones operation, lacking the appeal to attract diverse users beyond basic swimming needs.
- Outdoor Water Play and Multi-Use Centre Deferred: The initial vision included a vibrant outdoor water play area and a multi-use centre with gymnastics and fitness spaces. These features, critical for family engagement and youth development, are now absent from stage one. Families in Carnes Hill and surrounding suburbs will miss out on a safe, local space for children to play and learn, while young athletes lose access to facilities that could nurture their talents close to home.
- Limited Community Hub Potential: The masterplan by Brewster Hjorth Architects highlights aspirations for pedestrian pathways linking the aquatic centre to the Michael Clarke Recreation Centre and integrating communal spaces with native landscaping. While these are positive, the scaled-back facilities undermine the precinct’s potential as a true community hub. Without the full suite of promised amenities, the site risks being underutilised, failing to foster the social connections and active lifestyles it was meant to support.
Impacts on the Community: A Bleak Outlook
The repercussions of Liverpool Council’s incompetence extend far beyond the loss of specific features. The community faces tangible, everyday consequences from this debacle:
- Reduced Access to Competitive Swimming: With only a 25-metre pool, local swimmers and clubs will struggle to train for higher-level competitions, potentially stunting talent development in the area. Schools, as mentioned, will likely bypass Carnes Hill for carnivals, depriving students of local opportunities to compete and families of the chance to cheer them on without long commutes.
- Economic Fallout for Ratepayers: The absence of large-scale events like swimming carnivals means less revenue for the council and local businesses. Ratepayers, already burdened by the council’s financial mismanagement, will see no return on investment from a facility that fails to attract visitors or generate income through major bookings.
- Missed Health and Social Benefits: The loss of wellness features and family-oriented spaces undermines the council’s stated goal of promoting swimming as part of Australian culture. Residents, particularly the elderly and young families, miss out on accessible recreation that could improve physical health and community cohesion in a rapidly growing area like southwest Sydney.
- Eroded Trust in Leadership: Mayor Mannoun’s earlier assurance that the grant would cover the entire cost now rings hollow. The community has every right to feel misled by a council that has failed to deliver on its promises, allowing costs to spiral out of control while dragging its feet on construction—originally slated to start mid-2025 but now subject to an indeterminate timeline pending further consultation.
A Scathing Critique of Council Failures
It is utterly disgraceful that Liverpool City Council has allowed the Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre project to devolve into such a mess. A near-doubling of costs to $100 million reflects either gross incompetence or a complete lack of oversight from the outset. The delays—compounded by vague promises of future community consultation—are an insult to residents who have waited years for adequate recreational facilities in their area. The council’s inability to secure additional funding or manage the budget effectively has robbed the community of a facility that could have been a source of pride and vitality for Carnes Hill.
Even the revised masterplan, while attempting to salvage some functionality with parking provisions and basic aquatic facilities, is a pale shadow of the original vision. The council’s excuse that community consultation showed “not great demand” for a 50-metre pool—echoing a 2022 Warren Green Consulting report citing lower swimming propensity among overseas-born residents—is a flimsy justification for cutting corners. Swimming is a cornerstone of Australian life, and it’s the council’s job to foster that culture, not to shrink from ambition at the first sign of financial strain.
A Call to Action
Liverpool residents deserve better than this half-baked compromise. The Carnes Hill Aquatic Centre was meant to be a beacon for the community, not a monument to bureaucratic failure. Ratepayers must hold the council accountable, demanding transparency on how costs escalated so dramatically and pushing for urgent action to secure additional funding. Without it, the community will be left with a facility that fails to meet its needs or aspirations, a constant reminder of promises broken and opportunities squandered.
The timing could not be worse for LIverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun, who will be questioned under oath next week at the Public Hearings as the inquiry into Liverpool City Council continues.
LIverpool Council will provide an update to the Public at the 26th of November Council Meeting. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 6PM. Level 1/50 Scott Street Liverpool. OPER 1. The full Council Meeting agenda can be found here.
Credit: This updated story builds on the original article by Kirsten Jelinek, published in the Liverpool Leader on November 12, 2024, and incorporates details from the Carnes Hill Aquatic and Recreational Precinct Masterplan Design 2024 by Brewster Hjorth Architects, issued on November 15, 2024.
