The City of Gosnells and the State Government are at odds over a $132 million proposal for a new leisure, aquatic and sports centre, which has been left in limbo amid a funding shortfall. For the past year, the city has been lobbying the State Government for $16 million and the Federal Government for $50m in funding, while committing $66m from its own current and future reserves to the project.
However, with only $2m from State Government committed so far, plans for the proposed Sutherlands Park Leisure, Aquatic and Sports Hub in Southern River have come to a standstill. SPLASH — as the project is known — would include an eight-lane outdoor 50m pool, indoor leisure and learn-to-swim pools, a spa, steam room, sauna, gymnasium, creche and cafe.
The City of Gosnells and its 140,000 residents currently have only one aquatic centre with a single 25m pool, Leisure World in Thornlie, which opened in the early 1990s. The city said because of the “disappointing or non-existent support” for the proposal, it may need to completely reconsider how to proceed.
Gosnells mayor Terresa Lynes said the low support could be because the area was perceived as a safe Labor seat at both State and Federal levels. “The city of Gosnells is disappointed by the very limited funding support from both the State and Federal governments to date, particularly given that many other local governments received significant funding commitments in the recent elections,” Ms Lynes said.
The State and Federal governments recently combined to provide $42m for a new aquatic and recreation centre in Ellenbrook, which is expected to open in 2027, and $40m for the Alkimos Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Perth’s north. Ms Lynes said given that Leisure World attracted 400,000 visitors per year, and the population in Gosnells was forecast to grow by about 40,000 over the next 20 years, the area urgently needed a larger modern facility like SPLASH.
Sport and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti said the State Government would continue to work with the city as planning progressed on the project. Local Labor MP Terry Healy has been publicly advocating for the city to begin construction on the pool and deliver SPLASH in stages. However, Ms Lynes believes a staged delivery is neither realistic nor financially viable, as the indoor aquatic component alone is estimated to cost more than $75m, beyond the city’s $66m commitment and the current $2m State Government commitment.
