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The Kew Recreation Centre is undergoing a major redevelopment to transform into a modern facility that is suitable for all ages and abilities, and caters to a wide range of health and wellbeing needs.
Status as of April 2024
Council is pleased to advise a number of key steps have been resolved to begin the path to works at the Kew Recreation Centre site. A review and redesign of the structural elements of the building has been completed with third-party certification provided.
On this basis an amended building permit has been issued, and this week the Municipal Building Surveyor has lifted their Stop Work Order on the site.
The builder has now been issued instruction to commence with final site preparation, procurement of new materials, and to begin construction.
We will provide an updated timeline for the project in the coming weeks.
We thank our community for their ongoing patience as we take all the necessary steps required to ensure the final structure is safe and secure.
| Time | Action |
|---|---|
| Current - as of April 2024 | Documentation has been certified by an independent expert and the building permit issued, allowing works to resume on site. |
| October 2023 | Minor works completed around the site in response to community requests, including reinstating the footpath and residential parking on Disraeli Street and intersection visibility improvements at High Street and Derby Place. |
| May 2023 | ADCO Constructions completed dismantling and removal of collapsed steel roof structure. |
| February 2023 | WorkSafe approved a methodology for Council’s appointed builder, ADCO Constructions to safely dismantle the collapsed steel roof structure under their supervision. |
| Late 2022 | Investigations into the cause of the collapse commence, with the site under the control of WorkSafe. |
| October 2022 | A section of the steel roof structure at the Kew Recreation Centre construction site partially collapsed. No one was hurt and the collapse occurred after normal working hours. |
Watch the 3D fly-through of our final design
You can watch the fly-through of our final design on the City of Boroondara YouTube channel.
About the design
This new purpose-built facility will provide our community with modern recreation and aquatic facilities to be enjoyed by all ages and abilities.
The previous facility was in poor condition and no longer met the community’s expectations or catered for future demographic growth.
Our new centre will help our community improve or maintain health and wellbeing, play team sports, connect with others and meet specialised health needs.
The Kew Recreation Centre redevelopment is supported by the Victorian Government.
Features of the new centre
Our new Kew Recreation Centre includes:
- a dedicated learn-to-swim pool for swimming lessons
- a secluded warm water pool for gentle exercise and rehabilitation
- an aqua play area for young people to play and explore
- an onsite childcare with outdoor play area
- bigger change rooms that cater for individuals, groups and families
- 2 indoor sports courts providing much needed space for a range of local participants
- allied health suites to support your health and wellness goals
- divided health and fitness areas for both ‘noisy’ and ‘quiet’ group exercise classes
- landscaped forecourt and café to meet, gather and socialise
- increased parking onsite
- a party room.
Accessibility features
The new centre will be more accessible to people of all abilities and includes:
- a dedicated office and activity space for Boroondara Stroke Support Group
- larger change rooms that can cater for families and school groups
- more car parking options, including accessible parking and wider spaces for prams
- stair and lift access from the undercover car park
- a fully accessible spa via ramp access
- a sensory room to suit families with a range of needs and abilities.
Sustainability features
The new centre has a number of environmental sustainable design elements, including:
- 500 KW solar panel system
- high-performance insulation, glazing and air-tightness to reduce energy consumption
- storage of the pool waste water to be re-used for toilet flushing
- water-efficient fittings and fixtures
- rainwater harvesting to be re-used for landscape irrigation.
Community consultation
We worked closely with our community to design a modern facility that includes the latest recreation and aquatic facilities for all ages and abilities.
Each space, including the accessibility and design features, has been determined based on community feedback across 3 stages of consultation to ensure we meet the needs of our users.
As a result, we are delighted to be delivering a fun and engaging space that caters to a wide range of health and wellbeing needs for our community.
What we heard
There were a number of key topics and themes that arose during consultation.
Aquatics
You told us you wanted more water spaces for different activities, such as warm water exercise and rehabilitation, swimming lessons and children’s play in addition to lap swimming. We prioritised adding in these programmable spaces and a 25m lap pool over a single 50m lap pool.
Sauna
You told us how much you love the sauna, so in addition to a bigger and better one in the new centre we have added a sauna facility to the Hawthorn Aquatic and Leisure Centre too.
Aqua play
We have created a fun and colourful aqua play area with a large slide and a wide array of splash pad features to entertain children of all ages because we heard how important this area was to you.
Childcare
You told us how valuable a childcare facility is, so this service remains along with a new outdoor play area to support families’ health and wellbeing needs.
Parking
Improved and accessible underground car parking was added to increase parking capacity, along with additional bicycle parking.
Alternative locations
Kew Recreation Centre members have reciprocal rights to use our other Boroondara Leisure and Aquatic Facilities. Hawthorn Aquatic and Leisure Centre, Boroondara Sports Complex and Ashburton Pool and Recreation Centre are available for use in alignment with coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.
For more information, visit YMCA’s Kew Recreation Centre redevelopment page.
Expressions of interest
YMCA Victoria ran an expression of interest process from 18 July to 20 November 2022 for community groups and clubs who may be interested in hiring the new Kew Recreation Centre spaces and facilities.
More information
For information, contact our team on (03) 9278 4444 or email [email protected]
To receive updates on this project via email, sign up to the Kew Recreation Centre project mailing list.