The Derwent Valley Council has issued an unreserved apology to the Bushy Park community after confirming the town’s war memorial pool cannot legally reopen.
The apology, posted online on Monday, comes just months after councillors voted unanimously in October 2025 to restore the pool, with hopes of a Summer 2026 reopening.
“Council wishes to unreservedly apologise for past public statements that our officers made guaranteeing that the pool would reopen,” the council said in its statement.
“Those statements were made without having sought professional advice, nor a full understanding of the associated issues.”
“It is not reflective of how today’s council wishes to operate.”
The council also apologised for the time it had taken officers to secure the advice and provide it to the community.
“These are not issues that money can fix,” the statement said.
The main problem is the loss of on-site car parking caused by the recent Styx River bridge replacement, carried out by the Department of State Growth.
That loss means the pool no longer complies with its existing use rights and would need a new planning permit which cannot be granted.
Mayor Michelle Dracoulis posted her own personal note acknowledging she had championed the reopening.
“I was part of conversations about reopening next season. I championed it,” Dracoulis said.
“I read out the representation from the RSL asking that it be reopened. I promised to take my grandkids there this summer.”
“The pool cannot legally reopen. That’s our reality.”
Dracoulis said the earlier advice had not picked up all the issues and everything the council did now was backed by full advice before making commitments.
The pool, located on Gordon River Road, was built by the local community on land donated by Henry Jones and Co as a memorial to those who served in World Wars I and II.
A Wall of Honour monument was unveiled at the site in April 2013.
It has been closed since the 2023-24 season, initially due to the bridge works.
A petition launched by former volunteer committee member Tamara Walton in August 2025 gathered close to 900 signatures.
The council will hold a community information session at Bushy Park in coming weeks to discuss alternatives, including splash play equipment, picnic facilities, restoration of the war memorial and possible riverbank rehabilitation.
