Colmslie Reserve is in Morningside which, with Runcorn and Mt Gravatt were the locations chosen for three new community pools to be built in the City of Brisbane.
RMP were engaged by City Assets to assist in developing these assets as PPP (Public/Private Partnerships) projects.
The Colmslie Reserve, located adjacent to the Brisbane River, was determined as the most suitable site after exhaustive community consultation and “market testing” by RMP to ensure the site and the design of the facility would be able to meet the Brisbane City Council objective of a community pool without Council operating subsidy.
In addition, Colmslie Pool was to be the only one of the three new pools that had an outdoor heated 50m pool rather than a 25m pool.
The design reflected the need for a pool that could meet community needs, and in the case of this pool, be designed to meet the specific needs of people with high levels of disability.
All three pools had disabled access, which RMP had designed as a “beach” access to the pool rather than a ramp thus making the access ramp a leisure pool.
At Colmslie the space was limited and a ramp was used but an overhead rail was installed with design input from local institutions providing care for disabled people to allow access that even a ramp would not allow for these special clients.
The location, adjacent to the Queensland Hockey headquarters, and surrounded by playing fields used by hockey and touch rugby and schools, was determined as adding value with opportunities for cross training by elite hockey players as well as a 50m pool for school carnivals and lanes all year for lap swimmers.
The indoor and outdoor pools are managed by an Operator who runs learn-to-swim and coaching and will soon develop a Fitness Centre at the site at no cost to Council.