Aquatic centre loop road proposal would increase costs by $2.2 million
Friday 2 December, 2011
Council has prepared a comprehensive report providing detailed analysis of the one-way loop road option for vehicle access to Hornsby Aquatic Centre recently suggested in local newspapers.
The proposal would increase the aquatic centre project cost by approximately $2.2 million and is not feasible due to cost, road safety, traffic and heritage considerations.
The safest and most cost-effective option for providing vehicle access to Hornsby Aquatic Centre is to demolish the CWA Building and provide two-way access via Coronation Street, utilising the traffic signals at the intersection.
Some of the key constraints of the loop-road proposal include:
- The carpark beneath the centre would need to be lowered by about 1.6 metres to allow maintenance vehicles and garbage trucks to access the centre (this would increase costs by about $1.4 million)
- Historic light posts and palm trees on the Pacific Highway may need to be removed to improve visibility and road safety for motorists
- At least two large historic Turpentine trees would need to be removed at the northern end of the park
- It compromises the function and heritage values of the park
- The amenity of the Women’s Rest Centre would be significantly impacted if a busy driveway was constructed directly in front of the building
A copy of the report is available below along with a report from September which analyses seven different options for vehicle access in terms of amenity, traffic, road safety, cost and the heritage of the park.
Report analysing the loop road proposal - December 2011 (42.7kb)
Map and cross sections of loop road proposal - December 2011 (852kb)
Ordinary meeting report - 21 September 2011 (118kb)
Report attachment 1 - Correspondence from Division of Crown Lands (1.24mb)
Report attachment 2 - Access Options 1-7 - Plans (6.45mb)
Report attachment 3 - Access Options 1-7 - Cross sections (410kb)
Report attachment 4 - Intersection and road network plans (392kb)
“Some of the proposals which have been suggested would increase the cost of the project by between $700,000 and more than $2.2 million and cause traffic and road safety chaos,” said Mayor Nick Berman.
“We encourage residents to take the time to read the analysis of all the proposals on our website,” he said.
The public exhibition of the aquatic centre Development Application (DA) has now concluded and the DA is currently being assessed by an independent planner. The application has received support from the Hornsby Shire Heritage Committee. The NSW Government’s Joint Regional Planning Panel is expected to make a decision on the DA early next year.
The key features of the centre include a heated, eight lane 50-metre outdoor pool, an indoor 25-metre pool for learn-to-swim activities and a heated leisure pool.
See our Flickr gallery of the proposed Hornsby Aquatic Centre