Results of Cottesloe sea pool site study could be known in two months

CAMPAIGNERS for a Cottesloe Beach sea pool could know in two months if a council study has found a viable site after a public push for one of the safe swimming facilities lasting almost two decades.

“A preliminary time frame is for a report to be ready in August. The final report will then need to be adopted by council,” a council spokeswoman told Communitynews.com au.

In April, councillors agreed to spend up to $162,000 on two-stage study, firstly determining the feasibility of any location, after which the best site would be examined.

Contenders comprise a design by Subiaco architect Trevor Saleeba at the base of Cottesloe Groyne, Tom Locke’s ocean pool along the north of the groyne and Chris Shellabear’s proposal for a pool with pumped-in seawater at North Cottesloe

“I’m still getting umpteen people asking, ‘When is the pool going to happen?’,” Mr Saleeba said.

He said his site with a 50m pool did not affect Cottesloe Beach, could be fenced for safety, would be a WA attraction, and after construction costs were split between the council, State Government and private contributions, a leased kiosk would provide income for maintenance.

Mr Saleeba rejected Mr Shallabear’s claim the study was too early, saying it was needed to determine if a sea pool would be part of the council’s Foreshore Revitalisation Project.

Mr Locke is the last swimmer left from a group that started lobbying for a sea pool after the shark attack death of Ken Crew at North Cottesloe in 2000.

He said his 70m-long pool would be naturally flushed, reducing maintenance cost, and weed would be controlled by having the wall creating the enclosure at the high tide mark.

“The soft sand entry is a natural amenity for children, the aged, disabled and weaker swimmers,” Mr Locke said.

However, he said North Cottesloe site was the best if seawater pumped from offshore was chosen, because those supporters would raise funds, lifeguards would have better vision of swimmers and there would be after-hours security.

The council needed “careful” assessment of how future erosion would affect all three sites.Answering Mr Shellabear’s claim the study was too early, the council spokeswoman said it allowed several options to be considered, and work for the North Cottesloe site would “likely” help a decision about the most suitable location.

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