Centre's hydrotherapy pool questioned

The planned regional leisure centre at the Woy Woy pool site has hit controversy yet again with claims that the proposed hydrotherapy pool in the centre will not be warm enough to be classed as a hydrotherapy pool.

A vocal critic of the pool development, Mr John Chivers, said it was clear from the plans that contrary to what he had been told there will not be a hydrotherapy pool in the new centre even though the previous pool had one.

The standard temperature for a hydrotherapy pool was between 33 and 37 degrees Celsius, but the planned pool is expected to be 30 degrees.

The previous hydrotherapy pool on the site was heated to 34 degrees.

Hydrotherapy pools at Gosford Pool, Mingara and Woy Woy hospital are all heated from 33 to 34 degrees.

"In one letter from (the council's recreation manager Mr) Peter Hickman, it said the pool would be between 30 and 34 degrees but it was not clear on how they were going to do it," he said.

"It's my understanding that the 25m pool will run off the same plant as the whirl pool which I believe they are going to keep at 30 degrees.

"The 25m pool never get past 30 degrees.

"There will be no dedicated hydrotherapy pool.

"People won't know what day it will be a hydrotherapy pool and what day a training pool.

"There are people who need the hydrotherapy pool.

"They need the water at about 34 degrees to be able to exercise."

Mr Rowland said that it depended on what is classed as a hydrotherapy pool.

"There will be a pool.

"It will be heated. It will have wheelchair access and be suitable for exercise for seniors and children," he said.

"There are a lot of people who have been against this pool from the beginning and only seek to be critical of it," he said.

He said the plans had not changed from those originally approved.

The Council has advertised that there will be a "water exercise pool will ramp access" and a "hydrotherapy program" in the new Leisure Centre.

There is another hydrotherapy pool on the Peninsula located at Woy Woy Hospital.

Gosford Council's director of community services, Mr Phil Rowland, has assured councillors that visible signs of construction of the Peninsula Leisure Centre should start "any day now".

Following a question without notice by Cr Jim McFayden, Mr Rowland said that in accordance with conditions of consent on the development, imposed by Council with any complex project, the developers were required to carry out a great deal of preliminary work.

This includes making sure the construction will not affect adjoining landowners and detailed planning.

He said that once construction began, the development would progress quickly.

Mr Rowland said the planned date for completion was August 18 next year.

Alison Branley, May 26