A NEW plan to build an indoor swim school in Central Wagga looks to plug a gap when it comes to much-needed hydrotherapy services.
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The council has given Wagga Swim School owner Renae Hoogvelt the green light to move forward on plans to build an indoor swimming pool at a Trail Street property
Mrs Hoogvelt said not only will the facility offer swimming lessons, but the pool could also be used for hydrotherapy sessions.
It has been five years since the purpose-built hydrotherapy pool was closed down at Wagga Base Hospital, which has forced public patients to use the private service at Calvary Hospital ever since.
However, Wagga City Council has since recorded an overflow of people relying on the Oasis program pool for assistance with their injuries because they are unable to access the private pool.
Mrs Hoogvelt said the existing services are not keeping up with the demand and she hopes the new venture could fill the gap for the community.
"It will have an indoor heated pool with amenities where we will provide swimming lessons and much-needed hydrotherapy, which everyone is talking about at the moment," she said.
"We have a lot of existing customers who are busting to get back to it and physiotherapists wanting to get their patients into hydrotherapy."
Wagga City Council's general manager Peter Thompson said it is always going to be positive for the city to have additional hydrotherapy services to what is currently available to the community.
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"The council came to the decision that this is a good development that fills a niche that the community are calling out for," Mr Thompson said.
"The community want hydrotherapy options given that the state government has closed their hydrotherapy pool.
"We wish [the business] every bit of success."
Mrs Hoogvelt, who has owned and operated the Wagga Swim School for a decade, said this new venture comes as part of her grand vision to create a more "homely, intimate and inviting" experience for her customers learning how to swim.
"What I aim to do here is downsize and make it a more inviting, homely experience where mums can bring their babies and then go have coffee or lunch at the nearby cafes," she said.
"It is something that is completely different to Wagga and nowhere else really has this."
Mrs Hoogvelt said the new business, located at 51 Trail Street, is expected to open in the next few months.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story inadvertently indicated that the Copland Street pool complex would "relocate" to Trail Street. This is not the case. Wagga Swim School, which used to operate out of the Copland Street facility, has approval to build a new pool in Trail Street. Wagga Swim Hub, which recently started operating out of the Copland Street facility, will continue offering its services as usual. The DA apologises for any confusion.