If you grew up in Canberra, you might have fond memories of the capital's only outdoor water park, Big Splash.
The state of the park, and several broken promises over its unrealised reopening, have caused frustration.
The community has been frustrated by the lack of ACT government enforcement about the site.
The government has been asked several times why it does not purchase, restore and publicly run the park.
ACT government regulator Access Canberra has the capacity to issue a controlled activity order600, or to end the lease of the land.
The original Big Splash operators ran the park for decades before the lease was sold during the pandemic for a reported $7.5 million.
Like much of the capital, Big Splash is on a 99-year crown lease, which was last renewed 20 years ago.
The lessee, Translink Management Group, signed the contract in 2021, with the clauses unchanged.
After closing in 2024, the site was slated to reopen in November 2025, but the lessee did not deliver and blamed rising repair costs.
In April this year, Access Canberra decided against following through on a threat to end the lease.
In June this year, the water park was put up for sale.
Labor MLA for Ginninderra Tara Cheyne recently confirmed the person behind Translink Management Group was no longer calling the shots.
Just a day later, on Thursday, the owners of Big Splash announced they would comply with their lease requirements by operating an unlicensed family restaurant at the site by November.