HALIFAX -- The city of Halifax is diving into plans to build a new pool on the Halifax Common, but those plans are facing criticism.

A group of residents argue that city hasn’t been transparent enough, and is urging for further public consultation.

The current pool was built in the 1960’s. Now leaking, and in need of replacement, city staff says the pool at the Halifax Common is at the end of its lifecycle.

“There’s a high risk of permanent closure of the existing pool facility,” says Jacques Dubé, Halifax’s Chief Administrative Officer.

Halifax council has already approved a $16-million plan to replace it.

“This pool plan would replace the building, and the pool, with a proper 25 metre pool, better changing rooms, better facilities, and a better deck around it,” says Waye Mason, Councillor for District 7 Halifax South/Downtown.

But before any construction breaks ground, permission from the province is needed.

At a legislative committee held Thursday, not all in attendance were in favour.

The group Friends of Halifax Common says they’re not opposed to the pool itself, but are critical of the city’s process.

“It’s not transparent,” says David Garrett of Friends of Halifax Common. “The public has not seen anything with regards to that pool for about two years. There have been very vague diagrams in the newspaper and so on, but we haven’t seen anything in detail.”

Garrett says he and others want to see specifics of the master plan that has been in the works for four years.

“It’s the process that we’re concerned about, and a lack of a master plan for the Common,” says Garrett.

The city says it has consulted the public on its master plan.

“2,400 people, including four public meetings, two online surveys,” recaps Dubé.

“I’m confident that we’ve consulted adequately on the final direction of the pool,” adds Mason. “As far as the final technical design of the pool, I believe we should leave that to the experts, which is staff and the architects.”

But Garrett believes those consultations were brief, not recent and insufficient.

He also says the pool represents a larger concern for Friends of Halifax Common – they fear that green space is diminishing, pointing to new parking garages, the Oval skating rink, and the Wanderers Grounds soccer stadium.

“The Common has been diminishing for 250 years continually, one generation after another,” says Garrett.

In a vote, the committee sided with the city.

It is now up for the provincial legislature to decide what happens next.