Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) has completed the sale of the former Wānaka community pool site to the Ministry of Education (MoE) which means the land can be used by the fast-growing Mount Aspiring College (MAC).

The pool, which is located next to the high school on Plantation Road, closed in 2018 in line with the opening of new aquatic facilities at Wānaka Recreation Centre (WRC).

MAC has long hoped to make use of the land: Former principal Wayne Bosley expressed interest in acquiring the 6,441m2 pool site to help accommodate the growing roll as far back as 2017.

QLDC mayor Jim Boult confirmed yesterday (September 5) that settlement had occurred as he joined MAC chair Dr Ian Hall and MAC principal Nicola Jacobsen on a tour of the first new buildings of the school’s ongoing expansion to be occupied by students.

“There was never any doubt that the old pool site would become part of the MAC campus but like any sale of a community asset there were obviously a few legal hoops to jump through before that could be formally concluded,” Jim said.

“These included working with the Department of Conservation on the revocation of the site’s reserve status.”

See also: ‘New school gym mooted for old pool site’

Ian said the timing of the settlement was ideal for the school.

“The formal acquisition of the old pool site means we can move forward with confidence with the rest of our plans,” he said.

He said the focus for the site will be health, wellbeing and fitness “and we’re excited to see the future development of these parts of the school curriculum”.

The original Wānaka community pool was a Wānaka and District Lions Club project that opened in 1992. 

QLDC subsequently took over management of the facility on behalf of the community in 2009 before its closure in 2018.

MAC has been using the former pool site for temporary classroom space since 2019.

PHOTO: Supplied