Regular swimmers at Austinmer ocean pool say a million dollar council proposal to upgrade the almost century-old amenities block will "desecrate" an "iconic" Wollongong building.
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But the council says the upgrade - likely to be approved by councillors next week - is necessary to make the building accessible to all.
For two and a half years, the council has been working on plans to fix the decaying Austinmer toilet block, which was built in 1928 but is not heritage listed.
After two rounds of community consultation, the final version of the first set of plans - which was supported by pool users - came back with a cost of around $3 million, causing the council to go back to the drawing board to see if a more economical solution could be found.
This surfaced last November, and proposed a cheaper method of repairing the building's concrete cancer, as well as a less dramatic layout change to the men's and women's change rooms, so existing plumbing could be used.
The main feature - and most controversial element - of the latest design was a new unisex accessible amenity, which was proposed to be installed at the centre of the building with an oversized wheelchair access door.
With a wheelchair hoist and adult change table, the council said this would "ensure people with disability could enjoy the many recreational opportunities the pools, beach and broader precinct provides".
The other suggestion the disabled facilities be placed at the other end of the beach - I find it a bit challenging in this day and age when we talk about social inclusion.
But Judy Bourke, who is part of a group of people who swim at the pool every day, said community members were "really upset" about the plan to approve the tender for the work.
She said the main sticking point was the prominent accessible change room door which will dominate the front of the building.
"We're happy to have it there, but not desecrating the building like that," she said.
"If it needs to be there, it could go on the northern end [of the building]. It will just destroy an iconic building.
She said it would "completely destroy" the way people congregate (in non-COVID times) along the seating at the front of the building.
"There will be a door going into that private area right in the middle of where everyone sits," she said.
"We're whole heartedly in favour of disability access, it needs to be addressed and it needs to be at Austinmer.
"We think it's a great idea to have the disability facility, but this is not the solution for this problem. It does not have to be at that building."
She said residents thought the accessible change room would be better suited at the surf club, at the other end of the beach, or closer to disability parking at the beach.
But, in a report to councillors, the council said it had taken into account views from the disabled community, who did not want their change room hidden or separated.
"Council consulted with stakeholders who were carers of persons with a disability who indicated they did not feel the entrance location was in any way undignified or would make them feel uncomfortable," the council report said.
"In direct contrast, they indicated they did not want the access to be hidden around the back or remote from other users."
Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said he would be supporting the tender for the work to go ahead, and believed the council had found the right balance between cost, heritage and social inclusion.
He said he did not believe the prominent doorway into the accessible change room would detract from the building in any way.
"I think that's a bit insulting," he said. "Disabled people are not to be treated as something you hide around the back."
"I find that a little bit offensive. And the other suggestion the disabled facilities be placed at the other end of the beach - I find it a bit challenging in this day and age when we talk about social inclusion."
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
