The City of Gosnells has unveiled its mega $132 million vision for the Sutherlands Park Leisure, Aquatic and Sports Hub (SPLASH) and is rallying community support through a ‘letter of support’ campaign to secure necessary government funding.
Featuring an eight-lane outdoor 50-metre pool, indoor leisure and learn-to-swim pools, a spa, steam room, sauna, gymnasium, crèche, and café, SPLASH is designed to enhance health and wellness for an expected 100,000 residents in Perth’s south-east corridor.
The City said the facility is desperately needed due to the significant gap in aquatic resources within the area, and the current 25-metre pool at Leisure World in Thornlie can no longer accommodate increasing demand.
Mayor Terresa Lynes said Gosnells urgently needs a state-of-the-art aquatic centre due to a rapid population increase, which has grown by nearly 20,000 to 132,000 in the past decade and is expected to rise by 55 per cent in surrounding suburbs by 2046.
“The City of Gosnells Sports Plan 2020-2029 identifies that the current provision of aquatic facilities does not meet the needs of the community or current infrastructure guidelines for the large population catchment.” Mayor Lynes said.
“The SPLASH proposal will, therefore, provide much-needed facilities and opportunities to meet the needs of the growing community and region.”
To bring the SPLASH project to fruition, the City of Gosnells requires substantial financial support.
The city has committed $66 million towards the estimated total cost of $132 million and is seeking the remaining funds from state and federal governments.
Mayor Lynes said the city is hopeful that public pressure from community support letters will strengthen their upcoming funding application and is actively engaging with local, State, and Federal Members of Parliament, Ministers, and departments to secure support.
“The aim of the campaign is to show that this proposed development is much-needed for the health and wellbeing of the local community as well as the wider south-east metropolitan region,” Mayor Lynes said.
“The responses will be used to demonstrate community support for the project when we seek funding from a range of potential sources.”
Completed in 2017, the Cockburn Aquatic and Recreation Centre (ARC), a similar project, had a total cost of $109 million and was supported by both state and federal funding.
The financing included $10 million from the Coalition Government, $12.4 million from the State Government, $72.85 million from the City of Cockburn, $12.7 million from the Fremantle Football Club, and $1 million from Curtin University.
The projected cost for SPLASH, estimated at $132 million by a quantity surveyor, accounts for potential construction escalations in 2027 and 2028 but does not cover ongoing maintenance.
A spokesperson for the Minister for Sport and Recreation, David Alan Templeman MLA, noted that a significant amount of money has already been invested in the Sutherlands Park redevelopment but remained open to further discussions.
“The WA Government has been briefed on the City of Gosnells masterplan for Sutherlands Park, which includes the future SPLASH recreation and aquatic centre,” they said.
“The city is yet to apply for WA Government funding for the SPLASH.”
In a letter to the council Southern River’s Labor MP Terry Healy expressed his frustration with the council not providing an adequate cost estimate or build timeline.
“We remain supportive of the project, and I continue to advocate for funding from the WA State Government which is delayed if the council continues to defer releasing the details of the project,” Mr Healy said.
“The delays in providing this documentation cause frustration to residents who were all sent a flyer regarding the pool facility in 2022 by the council.”
With community support and if funding is secured, the City of Gosnells plans to release the tender for SPLASH in 2026, commence construction in 2027, and aims to complete the project by 2028.
Mayor Lynes said the campaign for community support will remain open until funding is secured.
To have your say on the project or sign the letter of support, visit yoursay.gosnells.wa.gov.au/splash or call the City on 9397 3000.
