{"id":282710,"date":"2025-11-13T23:00:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T23:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/282710\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T23:00:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T23:00:13","slug":"its-true-big-splashs-owners-are-looking-at-other-options-but-what-will-the-government-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/282710\/","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s true &#8211; Big Splash&#8217;s owners are looking at other options. But what will the government say?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-920657\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-920657\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3954-1200x900.jpg\" alt=\"Big Splash Waterpark\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-920657\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Big Splash Waterpark last week. Photo: James Coleman.<\/p>\n<p>The ACT Government has confirmed it received a proposal to redevelop Belconnen\u2019s Big Splash site \u201csix to eight weeks ago\u201d \u2013 but it\u2019s unlikely to grant approval.<\/p>\n<p>The news came to light this week during a committee hearing with officials from the government\u2019s City and Environment Directorate. It immediately drew ire from newly minted opposition leader Mark Parton.<\/p>\n<p>He and fellow Canberra Liberals MLA Peter Cain argued it could pave the way for residential or commercial redevelopment of the site.<\/p>\n<p>They also said it seemed to contradict the <a href=\"https:\/\/region.com.au\/its-almost-mid-november-so-big-splash-should-open-any-day-now-right\/920600\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">government\u2019s previously stated plans to take \u201cregulatory action\u201d against the waterpark\u2019s owners<\/a> for, so far at least, failing to open for a second season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s deeply concerning that the government has been aware of redevelopment plans for weeks without telling the community,\u201d Mr Parton said.<\/p>\n<p><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-883074\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-883074 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2025-06-26-Legislative-Assembly-MLA-12-1200x800.jpg\" alt=\"Mark Parton MLA\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-883074\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mark Parton was named Canberra Liberals leader this week. Photo: Michelle Kroll.<\/p>\n<p>An executive responded, saying the proposal was part of an \u201cinitial discussion with the planning advisors representing Big Splash about what potentially could occur on the site, but without any specific details\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was an early meeting to understand what the current status was. We haven\u2019t seen a formal proposal come forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Planning Minister Chris Steel added that the conversation was part of a normal process for property owners seeking advice from the Territory Planning Authority.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Territory Planning Authority treats proponents fairly if they come forward to seek information,\u201d Mr Steel said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey will be provided with information about process and guidance about how they can potentially do a range of things under the Planning Act. Whether they would be supported is a different question.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr Steel said that process would involve multiple steps, including public consultation and Assembly scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe committee would have an opportunity to make recommendations about any change to zoning. Then it would come to me for a decision, then it would go to the Assembly for the ultimate decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the minister stressed that the government itself \u201cis not proposing any major plan amendment to change the zoning from PRZ2\u201d, which currently restricts the site to recreational purposes.<\/p>\n<p><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-920655\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-920655\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3945-1200x900.jpg\" alt=\"Big Splash Waterpark\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-920655\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Constriction fences have gone up at the Big Splash site, but that\u2019s it so far. Photo: James Coleman.<\/p>\n<p>An ACT Government spokesperson later confirmed with Region \u201cwe have no plans to rezone the land at Big Splash\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cResidential development is also prohibited on the site. The government is regularly approached by proponents about proposals \u2013 that does not mean we endorse them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, the government is preparing to take action against the owners of Big Splash, Translink Management Group, which bought the site in 2021 for $7.5 million.<\/p>\n<p>The company previously informed the government in October that it planned to reopen the park in mid-November following maintenance work, but little progress has been made.<\/p>\n<p><a data-action=\"click\" data-category=\"in-article-ad\" data-label=\"19\" href=\"https:\/\/region.com.au\/best-plumbers-canberra\/92685\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/region-best-of-canberra-dark.png\" style=\"flex:initial\"\/><\/p>\n<p style=\"color:#061738\">Dripping tap? Burst pipe? Find Canberra\u2019s top plumbers in seconds. Click here.<\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re obviously rapidly approaching mid-November, and I know community consternation is growing, especially given what seems to be a lack of activity or improvement at the site,\u201d Attorney-General and Ginninderra MLA Tara Cheyne wrote in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Big Splash does not reopen in a reasonable period around the date they advised the government, the regulatory actions Access Canberra may pursue include potential controlled activity orders or, in extreme circumstances, termination of the lease.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-920658\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-920658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_3961-1200x900.jpg\" alt=\"Big Splash Waterpark\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-920658\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The water slides likely need to be demolished and rebuilt. Photo: James Coleman.<\/p>\n<p>Under current lease conditions, the site must be used as \u201can aquatic and indoor sports and recreation centre and an unlicensed family restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Earlier this year, the Assembly also voted, following a Greens-led petition, that the site should be \u201ckept as a pool.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr Steel added that any plan to change that is unlikely to reach a different result.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sure members change their minds between decisions, but I\u2019m sure many of them won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Big Splash Waterpark last week. Photo: James Coleman. The ACT Government has confirmed it received a proposal to&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282711,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-282710","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}