New Britannia aquatic centre and ice rink back in planning phase after long pause | Daily Hive

New Britannia aquatic and community centre and ice rink in East Vancouver back in planning phase after long pause

2018-approved master plan concept for redeveloping the Britannia site of community and recreational facilities. (Vancouver Park Board)

Big changes are still intended for the aging and outdated Britannia Community Centre and Pool, but residents should not expect shovels in the ground anytime soon — until sometime in the 2030s at the very earliest.

An internal memo sent last fall to Vancouver Park Board commissioners explains that City of Vancouver and Park Board staff are only at the early planning stage of a full replacement for the Britannia facilities.

Planning for the project on the 18-acre site — near the north end of the Commercial Drive retail corridor in the Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood of East Vancouver — has stalled for years, ever since the Vision Vancouver-led City Council approved the master plan for the site’s new and improved community and recreational facilities in 2018. At that previous approval juncture, the intention was to proceed into rezoning in 2019 and detailed design in 2020, with construction on the multi-phased project spanning a timeline of 10 to 20 years.

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According to the memo, City staff are now working on a rough plan — including what the new complex might include, how long it could take to design, and updated preliminary construction cost estimates.

Funding for this new preliminary design work would be requested in the City’s forthcoming 2027-2030 capital budget, which is expected to be finalized this year by City Council. If that is approved, funding for actual construction would not be sought until the 2031-2034 capital plan, and only if both Park Board and City Council agree. City Council will have the final say over any concept proposed by the Park Board.

Site of the Britannia community and recreational facilities in East Vancouver. (Google Maps)

Existing condition of Britannia Pool in East Vancouver. (Britannia Community Services Society)

The memo states this sequencing into the 2030s also reflects the Park Board’s current priorities, with Britannia Pool identified as the next major aquatic redevelopment opportunity after the Vancouver Aquatic Centre and Kitsilano Outdoor Pool, as well as Britannia’s standing in the City’s community centre strategy.

Construction on the $175-million new replacement Vancouver Aquatic Centre is expected to begin in late 2026, while the October 2026 civic election ballot could potentially include a plebiscite question seeking permission to borrow money for the project to build a new replacement Kitsilano Outdoor Pool, with construction — likely to cost more than $100 million — possibly beginning toward the end of this decade. Both facilities are in extremely poor condition.

While the designs for the Britannia site are still in the early stages, Park Board staff outlined in the memo a preliminary list of features being considered for the renewed complex. These include highly vague mentions of a swimming pool, gymnasium, fitness centre, multi-purpose rooms, administrative space for programming, skateboarding amenities, and potentially on-site childcare, subject to funding availability.

City staff met with the executive director of the Britannia Community Services Society in May 2025 to present the overall timeline, proposed scope, and a draft terms of reference for a future community advisory committee. At that meeting, City staff committed to updating the society at key project milestones, with the next major update expected once the 2027-2030 capital plan funding request is finalized.

$17.5 million in interim repairs, with the ice rink closed since 2024

Even as long-term renewal planning continues, the municipal government is investing heavily in maintaining Britannia’s existing facilities to keep them safe, operational, and usable by the community for longer, until the City is ready to proceed with the new-build redevelopment.

The memo notes that $17.5 million in capital maintenance funding has been set aside for the Britannia site over 2025 and 2026. The work includes the replacement of the ice rink slab, digital control system upgrades, exterior repainting of the pool and ice arena buildings, skylight replacements in the pool building, roof truss upgrades, and major repairs and upgrades to mechanical and electrical systems, plumbing, pool systems, HVAC, boilers, and domestic hot water heating, along with other repairs and upgrades.

Notably, the ice rink has been closed since March 2024 because of a brine leak and other mechanical issues, and the repairs related to this specific facility — enabling its safe reopening — are not expected to be completed until February 2026.

In 2025, there was speculation that a future Britannia redevelopment with a brand new ice arena could be a suitable candidate to serve as the Vancouver Canucks’ long-sought practice rink, as the team remains one of the few in the NHL without a dedicated facility. Team officials toured the site last year. The location is also close to the Canucks’ home rink at Rogers Arena, and the team later said publicly that a potential practice facility would be within a 30-minute drive of downtown Vancouver.

Existing condition of Britannia Rink in East Vancouver. (Britannia Community Services Society)

Park Board staff stated additional information and funding decisions related to Britannia will come forward as part of the upcoming 2027-2030 capital planning process, giving commissioners and the public further opportunities to weigh in on the future of one of East Vancouver’s most heavily used community hubs.

Master plan envisioned new community and recreational facilities with housing

The Britannia site of 1970s-constructed facilities entails not only Britannia Community Centre, Britannia Pool, and Britannia Rink, but also Britannia Secondary School, Britannia Elementary School, and Vancouver Public Library’s Britannia branch.

Even in 2018 at the time of the master plan’s approval, the campus-like Britannia redevelopment carried an estimated construction cost of up to $490 million, including $280 million for the various new community and recreational facilities, $25 million for the new childcare facilities, $130 million for a significant affordable housing component built above the new community and recreational facility buildings, and $55 million for major new and improved parks and public spaces across the site.

britannia community centre vancouver master plan 2018

2018-approved master plan concept for redeveloping the Britannia site of community and recreational facilities. (Vancouver Park Board)

The master plan’s first phase entailed a new aquatic centre, gymnasium, and other fitness spaces on existing surface parking next along the site’s northern perimeter near Venables Street. The aquatic centre would be a “Community Plus Pool,” short of being a major “destination” level facility, with a 25-metre pool with eight lap swimming lanes, a leisure pool with lazy river, and a hydrotherapy pool.

This would be followed by the second phase of a new ice rink to the west of the aquatic centre and a third phase with a new library, cultural spaces, and food hub.

Under the master plan, an unspecified number of non-market housing units would also be built over these community and recreational uses. Childcare facilities would also incorporated into the rooftop of the lower podiums of two buildings.

Extensive work, public consultation, and investment went into the years-long process to create the master plan, which was designed by the municipal government’s contractors of Urban Architects Architecture, Diamond Schmitt Architects, Space2Place, EPI, and Integral Group (Introba).

Existing condition of the Britannia site:

Existing condition of the Britannia community and recreational facilities in East Vancouver. (Google Maps)

2018-approved master plan for the Britannia site:

2018-approved master plan concept for redeveloping the Britannia site of community and recreational facilities. (Vancouver Park Board)

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