Accessible ramp for Beverley Whitfield Pool gets nod, boosting inclusivity

Shellharbour City Council unanimously endorsed proceeding with delivery of an accessible ramp into the 50-metre Beverley Whitfield Pool in Shellharbour Village during Tuesday’s (17 December) council meeting, a move hailed as a significant step towards greater inclusivity and accessibility for the community.

However, suggestions for a mobile hoist by the public weren’t supported by councillors.

Council was presented with three options for consideration for the saltwater pool on Hockey Esplanade that is open to the public year-round and attracts 170,000 visitors annually.

Most suitable, and the one supported, was a ramp on the western edge of the pool concourse that does not occupy any of the existing space within the pool, coming at a cost of $600,000.

The other options were for an internal ramp or an external ramp on the northern edge at lane four.

While there are accessible paths of travel to the pool deck area, access into either the toddler pool or the Olympic pool does not meet current accessibility standards.

During a public forum prior to the council meeting, six community members passionately spoke, with five supporting the adopted proposal and all supporting the need for inclusivity.

Cr Kellie Marsh – who moved the motion which was seconded by Cr Rob Petreski – works in the disability industry and said the council’s Disability Action Plan was all about inclusiveness, with council needing to do all it could to provide as many facilities as possible to all community members.

“I do understand, though, with the ramp going in, it won’t be suitable for everybody,” Cr Marsh said.

“I personally work with people with very high level needs who are confined to wheelchairs who would not be able to access the ramp.

“But that said, there are many people who will be able to access it, elderly people, people with certain disabilities, and I think we need to do what we can to provide the opportunity for them to be able to enjoy our pool and our space, because our city is theirs as much as it is ours.”

Cr Marsh said while she heard people’s concerns about putting in a mobile hoist, she didn’t believe this pool was the space for it due to it requiring a large battery pack which, if wet, could cause major issues.

Cr Mitch Ellis got emotional as he spoke of his support for it.

“If Shellharbour wants to be a community of equality and diversity that promotes social interaction and allows people with disabilities to participate in all activities alongside their family and friends, then a ramp should be installed to be inclusive of everyone,” he said.

“Picture yourself for a minute as a person with a disability or a loved one or a daughter or a son or a wife who cannot access a community pool that you would love to enjoy with.

“It breaks my heart when I see my kids excluded or left out of any activity.

“Why should a free community pool be any different?”

Cr Petreski shared some of the stories from the six speakers during the public forum, including a former nurse whose life changed in 2018 from a spinal injury, in turn changing his perspective on accessing the pool.

“He said having a ramp would give people hope and a chance to use that pool,” Cr Petreski said.

“He himself is a father and has kids, and he would like to go down there and use that pool with his kids, and a ramp would do that.”

Cr Petreski said the ramp would be used not only by people with a disability, but also people with temporary injuries, the elderly and young children.

“We now have the means and the plan, and we can allocate the budget now and we can get it done,” he said.

“Some people might say, OK, well, that’s a significant amount of money. I don’t think you can put a price on dignity. I don’t think you can put a price on accessibility, and I don’t think you can put a price on public amenity, and this is going to increase all of those for all of our residents.”

Along with ramp option one was the recommendation for the allocation of a further $400,000 for the construction of the ramp, to be included in the draft 2025/26 Operational Plan, noting the $190,000 already allocated in the 2024/25 Operation Plan.

Cr Lou Stefanovski said the plan was initially a difficult decision for him because of the funding required, but after understanding the lack of accessibility faced by people with disabilities, he supported the plan.

Cr John Davey supported the ramp, but questioned the urgency to proceed with it, and its isolation from an integrated and holistic approach that included all aquatic facilities.

He said there was no financial plan to address maintenance expenses for the existing pools which had a 10-year asset life remaining.

“At one end we have this ramp, and at the other end we have the advocacy plan for a $120 million multi sports and aquatics leisure centre for a population of 85,000 people, that, if built, will result in the closure of some, if not all, of the existing pools of Warilla, Oak Flats and Albion Park,” he said.

“How can we justify spending almost $600,000 for one pool in isolation when we don’t have an integrated aquatic strategy, given the needs of and uncertainty around the future of our existing pools.”

He said he would like to see an approach that was integrated into an overall aquatic strategy.

Cr Marsh acknowledged Mayor Chris Homer, who was absent due to illness, for his work with staff and the CEO to find a feasible option.