Newcastle's ocean baths are among the city's treasures and should be a drawcard for the city.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in these iconic locations.

We want to explore innovative ideas to make our ocean baths even more attractive and useful.

While the council cannot fund the work to upgrade the pavilions and has been unable to obtain grant funding, we can still make this happen by working with other people.

The expressions of interest process may help us access private funding to assist with this long overdue upgrade work.

Completion of the Bathers Way continues to be the council's priority project and any improvements made to the ocean baths will complement plans already in place for coastal infrastructure projects.

The expressions of interest excludes the baths themselves, extending only to the pavilions and surrounding land.

We will ensure proper facilities are provided including: patrol room, change rooms, community space, beach cleaner area and public seating.

It's time that the council looks at what is possible.