FAQs

The existing facilities included in this strategy are Sutherland Leisure Centre, Sutherland Indoor Sports Stadium, Caringbah Leisure Centre, Engadine Leisure Centre, Menai Indoor Sports Centre and Como Pool. 

There are also open water pools and multi-purpose courts located within schools which are accessed by the community, however long-term planning of these facilities and the level of community access available are not directly controlled by Sutherland Shire Council or are addressed by other strategies or Plans of Management.

Council is aware there has recently been inaccurate and misleading information shared on social media on this topic.

We want to assure our community that any suggestion Council is considering closing the preschool is false. In June 2023, Council and the preschool entered a new 5-year community lease for the Jacaranda Road building. Council have engaged extensively with the preschool on the requirements of our Community Leasing Policy, which sets out the principles for granting of leases across all our community buildings, including tenure.

The purpose of the draft Leisure Centre Strategy is to set out the long-term strategic approach for delivering an industry-leading network of community-focused leisure facilities that enhance the lives of our community. The draft Leisure Centre Strategy does not make reference to Jacaranda Preschool because the preschool is not a Leisure Centre.

The draft Strategy articulates the strategic direction for Caringbah Leisure Centre as becoming the lead attraction within a contemporary and highly activated aquatic, leisure and community precinct.

As the strategy is in draft form and we are currently consulting with our community on this draft we do not have detailed plans for the precinct. Should the draft Strategy be adopted, we plan to undertake detailed design, and develop feasibility and funding strategies for a complete redesign and integration of the Caringbah Leisure Centre and community precinct. When that action progresses, we will again be engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in our community.

The Key Focus Areas were informed by extensive community consultation, facility analysis, market and industry trend analysis, future demand modelling and strategic planning workshop sessions conducted throughout the process of developing this strategy.

A thorough stakeholder and community consultation process has been to develop this strategy. This process included: 

• 17 interviews and feedback sessions with a broad range of stakeholders
• Four presentations to the Sport and Active Communities Sub-Committee
• Consultation session with the Councillor working group
• Community survey with a total of 279 responses.

According to industry benchmarks, Sutherland Shire currently has an adequate total number of aquatic facilities. 

There is a shortage of indoor sports courts, and our area is lacking a regional indoor sport facility.

The location of the existing facilities aligns to current population and future population forecasts. Nine out of 10 residents currently live within a 15-minute drive of a Leisure Centre. 

 any of the current pools are all close-to or past the expected life and need to be renewed over the next 15 years. There is only one indoor pool within the Leisure Centres, located at Sutherland Leisure Centre. 

The community use the Leisure Centres for recreational swimming, fitness/gym, basketball and other indoor sports, and other specific programs (including Learn to Swim, Yoga/Pilates, Water Aerobics and Dance). 

 The top priorities that the community wanted to see addressed in the strategy were: 

1. Additional basketball/indoor sport facilities
2. Improving the condition, presentation and maintenance of changerooms
3. Upgrading pool and gym facilities
4. Increasing programming.

The next steps will include a feasibility assessment, which will be a more detailed review of the current pool and potential future opportunities. These studies typically explore and assess a range of options and seek community feedback on preferred options or alternative suggestions for Council to investigate.

This is a long-term strategy for the next 15 years, and the timing of carrying out the recommendations are based on: 

• Prioritising safety of Leisure Centres for patrons, staff and contractors
• Seeking expert technical advice on pool structures, plant room equipment and site layouts to maximise community use opportunities
• Enabling sufficient time for due-diligence, feasibility, design and construction for major projects
• Maintaining community access to Leisure Centres during times when individual Centres will need to be closed for upgrades.