Million-dollar dumps: Boating club struggles to maintain heritage clubhouse due to 1923 law
In its heyday, the Takapuna Boating Club’s (TBC) Bayswater clubhouse was used for all sorts of social gatherings, including regattas, dances, ratepayer polling, card game nights, school reunions, wrestling and boxing tournaments.
But since the TBC shifted to Hurstmere Rd inTakapuna around the late 1960s, and again to its current clubhouse on The Strand around 1990, the three-storey Bayswater clubhouse has fallen out of use and become what the club’s vice commodore James Jordan described as “a bit of an eyesore”.
Despite its rugged appearance and the need for some repairs to the decking, the building is structurally sound, and the TBC has ambitious plans to restore the building to its former glory.
However, the Auckland Harbour Board and Takapuna Borough Council Empowering Act 1923 limits what the building can be used for.
It is hoped a change of wording in the Act would allow the rest of the building to be used by tenants offering other activities to help provide the club with a small income to help cover the building’s expenses and future maintenance, while improving the public‘s use of the area.
Click 'read more' for my full report.
Poll: Could we live without public bins?
Many public rubbish bins are being removed by councils due to the large costs of regularly emptying them. Do you think we can adapt and live without them?
Type 'Not For Print' if you wish your comments to be excluded from the We Say You Say column of your local paper.
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12.1% Yes
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87.4% No
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0.5% Other - I'll share below
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Birkenhead War Memorial Park tracks now open!
Thankyou to everyone who came to celebrate the official opening of the new loop track through Birkenhead War Memorial Park!
The track has been upgraded to a standard to help prevent kauri dieback disease, including new bridges and boardwalks with fantastic views of the trees. The loop forms a step-free recreational track connecting into the shared concrete path that was built last year. The Mahara Ave entrance is just past the pump track and the Recreation Drive entrance is from behind Playcentre.
Thankyou to all of the council staff and contractors involved in the project, including reNature and Milton Harwood Construction. Thankyou also to Matua Shannon Leilua for the opening blessing and to Kaipatiki Community Facilities Trust for the opening event. The project was funded by the Natural Environment Targeted Rate and the Kaipātiki Local Board.
NEXT: The Kauri Glen Reserve tree-top bridge and track will be officially opened at 12pm Sunday 28 April.
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