"It just isn't good enough": Councillor calls for pool rebuild after shock demolition

One of the councillors involved in the decision to transform the Kilsyth Centenary Pool into a heated pool has expressed his disappointment in the previous Yarra Ranges Council’s decision to close and demolish the site.

Walling Ward councillor, who was first elected in 1982 under the former Shire of Lillydale, spoke with the Eastern Melburnian on Monday about his desire to push the council to consider funding a rebuild of the pool.

“It was a bad mistake,” he told the Eastern Melburnian. “I don’t recall ever being informed they were going to pull the pool out of the ground. I was very disappointed because I knew that that possibly meant the end of the pool.”

His call for action from the council echoed hopes laid out by the Rebuild our Kilsyth Pool campaigners.

Built in the 1970s and featuring its distinctive dome structure constructed in 1989, Yarra Ranges Council voted to close and demolish the original pool facilities in October 2023 due to its long-suffering infrastructure and high maintenance and potential repair costs, with the Hawthory Road land remaining as open space.

Cox said while there were issues with the dome covering, initial costings to replace the roof were about $6 million.

Endorsed last April, the Aquatics and Leisure Strategy laid out initial plans for an integrated aquatic and leisure centre in Lilydale, which would cost about $90 million.

Cox said Kiloran Reserve was currently ready for the pool to be rebuilt for about $20 million to $25 million.

“They haven’t got a site to put it on (in Lilydale), whereas here, council owns this and it could have been build almost immediately,” he said.

“The urban area of the council, which is half the population of Yarra Ranges, has not got a heated swimming pool.

“It just isn’t good enough.”

Cox said he was optimistic he would be able to seek support from the current councillors and council staff towards supporting the project.

“If this council had had to make the decision to close the old pool down, I don’t believe they would have made that decision,” he said.

Yarra Ranges Council’s 2025-26 draft budget will be released for public consultation from March to April.