A development application has been submitted for a $20.4 million indoor aquatic and water polo centre at Greenhills Beach.
The proposed two-level Sharks Aquatic Centre would be located on Captain Cook Drive, next to the sports fields shared by Cronulla High School and Cronulla-Caringbah Junior Rugby League Football Club.
The centre would include a 50-metre swimming pool, spectator seating for about 1000 people, cafe, exercise physiology suite, classrooms, meeting rooms and office space and associated amenities and storage.
There would be 127 car parking spaces, an access road and 20 bicycle parking spaces.
The facility would be operated by the Sharks International Water Polo Academy, which is a not-for-profit entity established by the Cronulla Sutherland Water Polo Club.
The development application (DA) said the centre would provide recreation opportunities for community groups, fitness and healthy lifestyle programs, training for local water polo teams, elite athlete training programs and regional competitions.
Proposed hours of use are 5am to 10pm seven days a week.
The project is Stage 2 of the Cronulla High School Master Plan, which was approved in 2014 as part of the Woolooware Bay Town Centre development, which required sports fields to be moved.
Stage 1 of the master plan, comprising two playing fields, club house, lighting, car parking spaces and an access road, have been completed.
Stage 2 is the aquatic centre.
Originally, it was proposed the aquatic facility would include a 25-metre outdoor warm-down pool as well as an indoor pool.
However, the outdoor pool has been scrapped because of site constraints.
The DA said the layout of the centre would be :
- Plant Level: Base of pool and viewing corridor, mechanical and pool plant rooms,10,000 litre rain water tank; and storage.
- Ground Level: 50 metre pool, tiered spectator seating for approximately 620 people; entry foyer, cafe and outdoor seating for approximately 40 seats, bathrooms and change rooms, storage and services areas, and bicycle parking for 20 bikes.
- Level One: Tiered spectator seating for approximately 340 people, office and meeting space, exercise physiology suite, bathrooms and storage space.
- Car Park: An at-grade car park comprising 127 car parking spaces will be established on the south-eastern edge of the facility, with vehicle access via Captain Cook Drive.
The DA proposes a variation in the building height limit set out in the 2015 Sutherland Shire Local Environmental Plan (LEP).
The proposed maximum height of the centre is 18.77 metres, well above the 12 metre limit in the LEP.
The DA said the variation was necessary for a number of reasons, including to achieve a column-free space for the swimming pool and to accommodate spectator seating.
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Murray Trembath
St George and Sutherland Shire Leader reporter covering politics, urban affairs, council, development and general community news. Email: mtrembath@theleader.com.au
St George and Sutherland Shire Leader reporter covering politics, urban affairs, council, development and general community news. Email: mtrembath@theleader.com.au
