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The new Beatty Park: a game changer

The $17.5m redevelopment of Beatty Park is now complete and the new facility will once again propel Beatty Park to the forefront of aquatic sports and fitness and leisure facilities in Perth.

Mayor Alannah MacTiernan says, “The facility really is a game changer in every way from the high-tech sustainability features, such as the geothermal heating system, through to the five resurfaced pools and range of brand new top-of-the-line fitness equipment in the two-storey gym extension.”  

An icon within the Vincent and greater Perth community, the last major refurbishment of Beatty Park took place in the 1990s. Works for this most recent redevelopment began in September 2011, though the entire planning and design process has been nine years in the making.

 “The initial needs assessment took place in 2004; the City recognised that Vincent had changed dramatically since the ‘90s, plus the plant and equipment were naturally due for replacement,” said the Mayor.

“Beatty Park has one of the largest aerobics program in the state and this new facility will allow us to significantly expand our capacity. We’re anticipating an increase in patronage and membership; it’s expected we’ll grow from 2,000 members when we closed for redevelopment in 2011 to a 3,500-strong membership base over the next two to three years. It’s great to see this much-loved icon back at the top of its game.”

Beatty Park has played a pivotal role in the development of swimming and aquatic sports in Western Australia, both in education and at an elite level, since it hosted the very first swimming event of the VIIth British Empire and Commonwealth Games on 22 November 1962.

What’s new?

In addition to upgrades throughout the existing building, a brand new two-level building has been constructed on the eastern side of the complex, overlooking Beatty Park Reserve. Note that the heritage-listed façade of the complex was not affected.

New two-level extension features:

  • New entrance, foyer, reception and offices
  • New café, with seating area and retail shop
  • New toilet/change room facilities
  • Lift between floors of the gym
  • Two huge new Group Fitness rooms (ground floor) with a class capacity of 60+
  • Brand new gym (top floor) with all-new, state-of-the-art equipment (top floor) which overlooks Beatty Park, including:
    • The first 360° Multi-Station in the state (for cross-fit enthusiasts)
    • The latest 19-inch touch screen monitors with internet connectivity on treadmills (Apple and Android compatible)
    • Hammerstrength and Life Fitness plate-loaded and pin-loaded machines
    • Two Jacobs ladder climbing machines
    • Cybex Arc trainers
    • Plus much more!

Pool upgrades include:

  • Retiling of Indoor pool and new children’s water features added (July 2012)
  • Upgrade of existing (50m x 8 lane) outdoor pool by installing a new 50m x 10 lane pool with a depth to suit a number of activities (completed Nov 2012). An accessible ramp was also included for better access for patrons with a disability.
  • Upgrade of existing 30m outdoor pool by reducing the depth to 2m and re-tiling (diving board removed) – this Activities Pool is for water polo and other activities (completed Dec 2012)
  • Adding a  12m x 12m ‘Learn to Swim’ outdoor pool next to the above Activities Pool (completed Dec 2012)

Sustainable features:

  • Incredibly, the below technologies will save the City of Vincent over 5,000 mega watt hours of energy each year - equivalent to the electricity used by 890 Vincent households over the same period.
  • Geothermal heating system which draws hot water from deep underground to heat all of the facility’s swimming pools (with potential expansion to heat other nearby Vincent facilities in the future)
  • One hundred and fifty 250W Suntech solar modules which contribute significantly to powering the Centre’s electrical equipment
  • Presence Detectors will ensure lights in less frequently used areas are only on when needed
  • Super-efficient Airblade hand dryers save 80% on conventional hand dryer energy costs

The upgrades to the existing building include:

  • Minor upgrade to administration offices  to enable them to be leased to recreation and associated professionals, eg: physiotherapists
  • Upgrade of existing toilets and bathrooms, with a new suite of changerooms  
  • Disabled access ceiling hoist, adult change table and new accessible change-rooms. Addition of extra family and accessible sized changerooms and cubicles
  • Upgrade to universal access and traffic flow within the existing car park

General works:

  • Upgrade of car parking facilities which will add extra bays and allow for better access for pedestrians and bikes
  • Upgrade of existing water treatment plant and plant room
  • Repainting of indoor pool interior and exterior
  • Repainting and general maintenance to be undertaken on the existing grandstand
  • Upgrade lawn and landscaping areas to outdoor pool area.