Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
· collected 2026-09-06 · by Rachel Rasker
The roof of North Sydney Olympic Pool partially blew off on Saturday due to powerful winds, just over a month after it opened on August 7. Photos show roofing material and flashing lying in the street, with residents expressing disappointment and questioning how much it will add to the pool's repair bill. The incident is the latest issue for the troubled $122 million project, which has faced cost blowouts, delays, and legal battles over its construction. A section of the damaged roof had been removed by Sunday, but the blue underlay was exposed to the elements.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
A portion of the roof of the $122 million North Sydney Olympic Pool, which opened on August 7, blew off due to powerful winds that reached over 80km/h on Saturday afternoon. This is not the first issue with the pool, as it was forced to shut its doors a week after opening due to a power supply problem. Residents are expressing disappointment and concern about how much this latest incident will add to the already troubled project's repair bill, which has led to a 52% jump in rates for North Sydney residents over three years. The pool's construction company, Icon, is still seeking $28 million in compensation from the North Sydney Council after cost overruns and delays caused by design changes.
Written for “North Sydney Pool Issues” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.35 for article 5286 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-06
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.
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project → blow → August
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.
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that → circulate → Sydney
Residents expressed disappointment at the damage, and questioned how much it would add to the troubled pool’s repair bill.
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it → express → bill
North Sydney residents already face a 52 per cent jump in rates over three years to help fund the project.
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residents → face → 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.
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that → think → 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.
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which → say → million
“Think about if someone was there.
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someone → think → ?
It would have been a very big issue,” Barros said.
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Barros → say → ?
Pool staff confirmed no one was hurt in the incident.
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one → confirm → incident
“North Sydney experienced significant wind conditions on Saturday, along with many other areas across Sydney.
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Sydney → experience → 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.
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spokesperson → result → statement
“The area was made safe and contractors attended the site promptly to undertake repairs.
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contractors → make → repairs
Pool operations were not affected.”
The roof structure has long been a key feature of the project’s cost blowouts and delays.
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structure → affect → blowouts
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.
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company → take → 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.
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claim → take → project
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.
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which → mire → 2023
Brewster Hjorth Pty Limited, the corporate trustee behind the architectural practice, has since entered liquidation.
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Limited → enter → liquidation
While the damaged section had been removed by Sunday, the roof’s blue underlay was exposed to the elements.
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underlay → damage → 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.
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who → ’ → surname
North Sydney Living posted photos on their Facebook page on Sunday, and questioned whether another closure was likely.
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closure → post → Sunday
“No word yet from pool management or council about the extent of the damage or potential disruption to opening times,” the post read.
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post → read → times
