Andrew (Boy) Charlton, the harbourside hottie and the crown jewel of Sydney’s public pool network, will close for 16 months to undergo a renovation.

A City of Sydney spokesperson shared that “the scope of works will also see essential maintenance carried out on the pool’s concrete and steel structure, with a new lift and decking also installed”. Works also include replacing the tiles and waterproof membrane on both the 50-metre lap pool and the smaller program pool, and converting the gas heating system to run on electricity as part of the council’s move to 100 per cent renewable energy and its bid to reach net zero emissions by 2035.

The pool – which last underwent a major refurbishment in 2011 – will close in May and is expected to reopen in September 2025.

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The statement went on to confirm that “the City’s five other aquatic and fitness centres remain open as normal, year-round, including the nearby Cook & Phillip Park Pool”.

Commenters on social media expressed concerns that renovations might take even longer than 16 months, making reference to the Nielsen Park seawall refurbishment and the North Sydney Pool, two examples of local works that have long exceeded councils’ projected timelines.

Andrew (Boy) Charlton is also home to the Oh Boy waterside cafe. At the time of publication Oh Boy could not be reached for comment on how the renovations would affect its trading.