Former Raumati Swimming Pool site could house recreation centre

Conrad Banks and Zara Lange with plans to transform the former Raumati Swimming Pool complex. Photo / David Haxton

Exciting plans have emerged for transforming the former Raumati Swimming Pool complex into a wide-ranging indoor recreational centre.

The Kāpiti Coast District Council-owned complex has been mothballed for a long time since the Coastlands Aquatic Centre opened a number of years ago.

When Zara Lange and Conrad Banks bought the adjoining upstairs Waterfront Bar and Kitchen last year, and gained a long-term lease of the building from council, they marvelled at the former 2000sq m pool complex downstairs.

While they are focused on transforming the Waterfront, they’ve also come up with plans to turn the pool site into something that would be a real people magnet.

Ten-pin bowling, rock climbing wall, archery, axe throwing, shooting range, arcade, virtual golf, icecream/coffee hole in the wall, and even a shooting range, are some of the activities in the plans.

“It’s a bit of a crazy idea – but why not?” Banks said.

“We want to be able to give people something to do and come back to.”

He said the site was “an amazing blank canvas” and they had the “drive and energy” to facilitate the centre if the community was keen.

They had spoken to the Raumati Community Board as well as the council’s assets manager about the potential of doing something with the former pool site.

“It’s about getting something happening in an amazing space.”

Banks said a structural engineer and quantity surveyor were investigating “what the state of the building is and what it’s going to cost to get it to a workable shell”.

He felt it was the council’s responsibility to make the site work-ready but “anything from there – we’re on”.

He had a rough idea of the work-ready cost which was “in the lower echelon of seven figures”.

The key was making sure the community was on board with transforming the site.

“If the community doesn’t like the idea then we’re not going to do it.

“We’re talking to a lot of people and seeing if we’re all aligning up.”

Community feedback is being monitored via the Our Vision For Raumati portal which is driven by councillor Sophie Handford and community board member Bede Laracy.

“They have put a vision together and an access point where people can go and have a say.

“If we get the opportunity – boom.”

Inside the former Raumati Swimming Pool complex. Photo / David Haxton

Lange noted there had been some interest in the pool site by other parties but nothing had eventuated.

“It’s a little bit frustrating for us to work in this space [the upstairs Waterfront] when downstairs is an empty space, but such an amazing site, where so much could be done to it.”

The main thing was about giving people something to do, she said.

“We’ve got four kids, and when we moved here, we were like ‘there’s nothing to do on a rainy day’. A bowling alley [in Paraparaumu] has closed down, a paintball business [also in Paraparaumu] is closing down, there’s no indoor play space for children.

“There’s just a huge hole in the market.”

Their concept was “exciting” and would put Raumati Beach “on the map as a place for people to come to”.

Banks and Lange also own the successful Dockside as well as Binn44 restaurant/bar in Wellington.