Renders had been publicly released for the previously chosen site of the Bugendore Sports Hub. Image: Supplied.
Bungendore residents could be without a pool for at least a season after an overhaul to planning for a new pool.
For several years, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) has been working towards building a new pool at the Bungendore Sports Hub.
The planning news emerged during a recent meeting, when councillors endorsed a feasibility review of building the pool at a new location.
Meeting documents reveal that demolition of the Majara Street pool will leave residents without a pool for at least one summer.
Councillor Mark Schweikert acknowledged plans for a new pool had been on the cards for a while.
“The kids have always complained how freezing cold it is when doing aquatic festivals there, because it’s not heated,” he said of the existing pool.
“It leaks, it costs a lot of money. It’ll be nice to get a new pool – we’ve been promising one for Bungendore for quite a long time.”
In December 2025, the council lodged its development application (DA) for the Bungendore Aquatic Centre, revealing plans for a 25-metre, eight-lane pool, a splash pad and tiered seating.
Other planned facilities include a reception area, an office for staff, a cafe, cold and dry storage and toilet amenities.
During the meeting, councillor Katrina Willis asked whether staff were confident the new site would suit a new pool.
“The site is quite a bit smaller [than the sports hub site]. … We’re now being asked to commit a quarter of a million dollars to doing more work.
“I would hate for us to go down this track and find out, ‘Yeah, nah – it’s not going to work.'”
A staff member said the council remained confident QPRC could deliver on that brief.
She also said architects had submitted two layouts for the new facility, showing how the pool and associated car parking could fit.
“The pool is pretty much confined to that corner site where the existing pool is,” the staff member said.
Councillor Mareeta Grundy said QPRC should consider the site’s “unusual situation”.
She said it was half on council land, while the remainder was Crown Land.
In response, the staff member said the council wasn’t expecting any issues on that front.
“We are Crown Land manager for that site and there is an existing pool there, so I don’t anticipate any issues there,” she said.
General manager Rebecca Ryan said a new DA was set to be lodged sometime before Christmas.
She said part of the project’s future would include a new capital expenditure review.
She also said the council needed an approved DA and a “shovel-ready” project before getting grant funding.
As part of the council’s efforts, the council rezoned private and council-owned land around the Bungendore Sports Hub to clear the way for its development.
A planning proposal, released as part of consultation in November 2025, stated the new pool was set to be adjacent to the sports hub’s netball courts.
According to the meeting documents, the previous DA was withdrawn because of concerns around flood risk, odour from the nearby Bungendore Sewerage Treatment Plant and electricity supply.
Jimmy Grey Park and Val Gardney Park, along with the current pool site, were considered as replacements.
The staff member said the former site was rejected, in part to keep the town’s green space.
“[The council’s planning department] felt that removing the green space from Bungendore, when there’s limited green space there, would be more of an issue than putting the pool on the current pool site.”
