21 August 2025
North Sydney Council has confirmed further delays and cost pressures on the $122m redevelopment of the North Sydney Olympic Pool, with contractor Icon now forecasting practical completion on 18 November 2025—nearly 16 months after the original contractual date of 11 July 2024.
According to a report to be tabled at the 25 August council meeting, the facility will take an additional two to three months to commission and operationalise after handover, pushing a likely public opening into early 2026. The delay has triggered extensions to key consultancy agreements and construction insurance, while a growing number of unresolved variation claims continues to weigh on the project’s financial outlook.
The revised construction contract sum stands at $92.28m, incorporating 13 variations worth $22,700 since the last report. While current financial commitments remain within the $122m forecast cost to completion provided in February 2024, council officers cautioned that a “significant number of variation claims either under assessment or yet to be submitted will place further pressure on the allocated budget.” Icon has lodged 541 variation claims to date, with 116 under assessment and another 129 potential claims flagged worth around $3.5m.
On-site progress has accelerated with high levels of resourcing. Works include final cleaning and fitting of the 50-metre pool, paving and balustrading of external areas, tiling of children’s splash play pools, and fit-out of changerooms and amenities. The grandstand glazing, Ripples Café structure, and landscaping works are also advancing. Outstanding quality issues have fallen from 82 in June to 62 in July, with 147 of 310 total issues now resolved.
To align with the revised completion schedule, council authorised extensions to consultancy contracts under the “extenuating circumstances” provisions of the Local Government Act. These include Brewster Hjorth Architects for design services ($264,050), APP Group for project management ($261,680), CPM for programming ($7,080), and Bluestone Management for quantity surveying ($31,600). Contract works insurance has also been extended to the revised date at a cost of $270,757.
The redevelopment, which commenced in March 2021, involves construction of a 970-seat grandstand, a 50m outdoor pool, a 25m indoor pool, leisure and warm water pools, spa and sauna facilities, gym, creche, café and retail space, and the reconstruction of the former Ripples Café.