The council committee responsible for the aquatic centre’s management is putting together a masterplan to investigate the possibility of funding the project, but council’s general manager has warned financing it won’t be easy.

Locals have long pushed for a 50-metre outdoor pool on the current site, but Griffith Regional Aquatic and Leisure Centre management committee member Cr Dom Testoni said a new pool alone would not be feasible.

“It needs to be more than just a pool, it should be something for the whole family,” Cr Testoni said.

“We’re looking at the possibility of a wave pool, a beach, barbecue facilities and even water slides.

“The way the centre is at the moment, if you’re not a swimmer or not into fitness, you just don’t go there.

“Unless you get families, you’re not going to get people and it won’t pay for itself.

“But it’s in the very early stages and we’re only just starting with the masterplan. We need to look at the rough costs and see if it’s something we can slot into our longer term plan.”

The former Olympic pool at the same site was closed down more than a decade ago after being plagued by structural problems.

Fellow committee member and former councillor Terry Barden, a staunch advocate for an outdoor pool, said Griffith’s heat made a 50-metre pool “an obvious choice”.

“It’s good for the schools and I think people like to be outdoors swimming when it’s so hot,” Mr Barden said.

“There’s more room for the young ones than an indoor pool provides and a better atmosphere.

“They can be expensive to run but no one expects it to show a profit and I’ve never heard a ratepayer complain about having to pay for a well-used facility like a pool.”

He said part of the money could be raised from Section 94 developer contributions.

For the facility to be given the green light, it would need the support of the majority of councillors.

But council general manager Brett Stonestreet said the city was not in a financial position to entertain an outdoor water park in the near future.

“In terms of our finances, we’d be unlikely to consider it in the short-to-medium term,” Mr Stonestreet said.

“It’s not on our radar at the moment but if it came to us down the track, councillors may well have views on it.”