Two public pools to close in one day - Letter to Cr Howard

This is a copy of the letter I sent Councillor Vicki Howard, Brisbane City Council's Civic Cabinet Chair of Community and the Arts, in response to news that the QUT Kelvin Grove pool was closing on the same day as Centenary Pool in Spring Hill. And here's a downloadable PDF version.

13th July 2026

Dear Cr Howard,

I’m writing to request that Brisbane City Council urgently invest in long-term planning for new public pool facilities in the inner north-west.

Brisbane’s inner-north region is due to lose two publicly-accessible pool facilities on Tuesday 1 September 2026. 

The Queensland University of Technology has recently notified the community that the QUT Sport Fitness and Aquatic Centre will close permanently to make way for a new research and fitness facility. This will coincide with the Centenary Swimming Pool, which is reportedly due to close on the same day.

Swimming pools are highly valued by Brisbane residents - not just as a space for exercise and physical activity, but also as a community hub, place of learning, rest, rehabilitation and a sanctuary from the blistering summer heat.

The closure of these two swimming pools will disproportionately impact renters, elderly people, migrants and people living with disabilities, who rely on public pools for rehabilitation, health and to cool off during heatwaves. 

Poor access to public swimming pools means more backyard greenspace lost to clear vegetation for private pools, more traffic and parking stress in certain neighbourhoods due to people driving longer distances for a swim, and many of the most vulnerable in our communities missing out on swimming entirely.

This Council has not invested in new swimming locations since 2016-17. In the decade since then, Brisbane’s population has increased by 16%, or at least 190,000 residents. 

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner promoted an increase in patronage at Council public pools over each summer, in his recent Budget Speech 2026-27. This Council should ensure that patronage can keep growing, by urgently planning for new public pool facilities.

Given that Council has freely handed over Centenary Pool to the State Government and GIICA, it would be appropriate for Council to redirect its own investment into building a new public pool elsewhere in the inner-north.

To fund these additional swimming facilities, Council should make big developers finally pay their fair share by pressuring the Crisafulli State Government to raise or remove the cap on infrastructure charges, and investigating value-uplift charges for upzoning.

Our summers are getting hotter. It’s immensely important that this Council ensures every person in Brisbane has access to a local swimming spot.

Warm regards

Support the community petition opposing the closure of Kelvin Grove Pool at this link.

In case you're interested, I've also sent a letter to QUT's Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil AO. Here's a link.