Naenae Pool closed over earthquake concerns

Thursday, 11 April 2019

The Naenae Pool has been open to the public for over 60 years, but will now be closed due to earthquake concerns.

A popular swimming spot in Lower Hutt is closing to the public for safety.

Naenae Pool clocks up to 450,000 visits every year but has joined a growing list of venues in the Wellington region which are now closed because of earthquake concerns.

Hutt City Council made the decision on Tuesday night after receiving engineering advice which showed the structure of the Naenae Olympic Pool Facility indicated an overall rating of less than 34 per cent of the New Building Standard.

'We're not legally required to close the building, but given the information we've now received, officers believe this is the right decision in the interests of public safety,' Mayor Ray Wallace said.

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Naenae Pool looking towards the Eastern Hills sometime in the 1970s.

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Wellington's central library closed on March 19, 2019 following advice received from engineers that the building may not be safe in the event of an earthquake.

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'Naenae Pool is a valued and well-used community facility … so we know the closure will be a significant disappointment and disruption. But we believe it is the right decision.'

Because an upgrade planned for the Naenae Pool would require the building to be closed for up to 18 months, the decision was made to close it immediately before determining the next step, he said.

'Council will now urgently determine the next steps assessing the various options. We had budgeted for an upgrade, but given what we now know, we need to step back and look at the best way forward for community facilities in Naenae, including likely additional cost.'

The original outdoor pool was built in 1956 and the main pool was covered in 1986.

A new learners' pool extension was added in 1997, with the old outside learners' and toddlers' pools replaced, and enclosed in a new timber frame building.

The closure adds Naenae Pools to a list of buildings which have recently closed due to safety concerns including Wellington Central Library which closed indefinitely in March and Reading Cinema in Courtenay Place which closed in January.

In February, Wellington's Town Hall restoration budget blew out to $112 million.

In November last year, Wellington ratepayers found out they had to pay an additional $16.7 million to upgrade the St James Theatre to seismic standards.