Tauranga City Council has confirmed its intention to progress with a redesigned Memorial Park Aquatic Centre to be built on the site of the existing Memorial Pool.

Late last year, the council put plans for the $105m Memorial Park aquatic centre revamp on hold to look at other design options.

The original $105m plan had included a bombing pool, splash pad, toddler pool, eight indoor swimming lanes and two outdoor lanes.

It would have replaced the outdoor pool and the QEII Youth Centre at Memorial Park.

This week, Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the decision to progress with a redesigned centre would preserve key community assets, including the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre (QEYC) and Memorial Hall.

“This is a smart, community-focused solution that balances cost, functionality, and the need to retain important community spaces. It’s a win for Tauranga.

“It gives us an opportunity to develop the project from the ground up and allows council to deliver a significantly better value-for-money option.”

Recent geotechnical investigations confirmed the feasibility of building on the existing pool site, with similar foundation requirements to nearby facilities.

The council has engaged Apollo Projects to lead the revised concept design and cost estimation phase, with a $50,000 design fee approved.

A project steering group, including councillors, will guide the next stage of design development.

The revised concept will prioritise value for money and functionality, considering a mix of indoor and outdoor facilities to support lane swimming, aquatic sports, learn-to-swim programmes, hydrotherapy, and recreational play, the council said.

The council has also reaffirmed its commitment to keeping the QEYC and Memorial Hall operational until 2041, when earthquake strengthening will be required.

The Memorial Park Aquatic Centre project was originally scheduled to begin in 2024/25 with a $123.4 million budget.