A portion of the roof of North Sydney Olympic Pool blew off on Saturday, almost a month to the day since the embattled $122 million project opened its doors on August 7.
Photos circulated online showing what appeared to be roof flashing trailing along the street on Saturday afternoon, after powerful winds that reached more than 80km/h pummelled Sydney.
Residents expressed disappointment at the damage, and questioned how much it would add to the troubled pool’s repair bill. North Sydney residents already face a 52 per cent jump in rates over three years to help fund the project.
“I think it’s horrible because this is not the first time that’s happened,” said resident Gregory Barros, referring to the power supply issue that forced the pool to shut its doors a week after opening.
He said someone “needs to be accountable for the hundred million” spent on the beleaguered project, which had an initial estimated cost of $58 million. “Think about if someone was there. It would have been a very big issue,” Barros said.
Pool staff confirmed no one was hurt in the incident.
“North Sydney experienced significant wind conditions on Saturday, along with many other areas across Sydney. The strong winds resulted in minor damage to a section of roofing at North Sydney Olympic Pool,” a spokesperson for North Sydney Council said in a statement.
“The area was made safe and contractors attended the site promptly to undertake repairs. Pool operations were not affected.”
The roof structure has long been a key feature of the project’s cost blowouts and delays.
The pool’s construction company, Icon, took North Sydney Council to court last year, seeking $28 million in compensation for cost overruns and delays due to problems caused by myriad changes to the steel roof structure’s design.
“The time taken to revise the upper roof design, and the revisions to the upper roof design and associated works, caused Icon to incur additional costs and delay on the project,” the claim read.
The council was also mired in a separate legal battle with Brewster Hjorth over costs and delays caused by the roof, which was pulled down in 2023 and later replaced. Brewster Hjorth Pty Limited, the corporate trustee behind the architectural practice, has since entered liquidation.
While the damaged section had been removed by Sunday, the roof’s blue underlay was exposed to the elements.
“It’s a great pool and it’s a shame they have repairs already, when it’s only been open a couple of weeks,” said Matt, a regular swimmer and local who declined to provide his surname.
North Sydney Living posted photos on their Facebook page on Sunday, and questioned whether another closure was likely. “No word yet from pool management or council about the extent of the damage or potential disruption to opening times,” the post read.
With Megan Gorrey and Steve Jacobs
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