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The Pleasant Point Yacht Club's dream of moving into a new facility after their last one was destroyed in the Canterbury earthquakes is closer to being realised.
Concept drawings of what the club will look like once their new facilities are in place.
The club's previous facility on Rat Island was destroyed by the first earthquake in 2010. They've operated out of five containers on a site on South New Brighton Park for more than five years but that could be about to change, although it's different to what they had originally planned.
Pleasant Point's committee had designs for a bespoke building drawn up and also spent more than a year trying to raise funds but made the hard decision in late 2017 to go in a different direction after purchasing two 12m by 12m relocatable buildings that were originally built as temporary lecture rooms for the Canterbury University.
The university had more than 100 of these buildings constructed for them in 2011 and placed on their playing fields in Ilam, but are now surplus to requirements following repairs to the university. They're being sold off in a package that includes shifting them off the university site and onto their new owner's land.
Pleasant Point have had engineering and architectural input into the two buildings, one of which will be will be set up as the 144sqm clubhouse with an open-plan layout, including kitchen, trophy cabinets, tables, chairs and lounge furniture. The second building will be built as the changing room/toilet block and will also include the start box and a committee meeting and lecture room.
The two buildings will be joined by extensive decks that look out over the estuary.
The plans are now with the Christchurch City Council for a building consent and the first contractors who will clear the site and prepare a pad for the foundations are awaiting the go-ahead.
The foundations will be constructed and the two buildings will be transported onto the site, each in two pieces, then craned onto the foundations and re-joined.
For now, the club will continue to operate out of the containers but, having operated for more than five years with no power, showers or toilets, Pleasant Point Yacht Club members can’t wait until the two new buildings are open for use.
Once this part of their rebuild is complete, the club will then set about fundraising for a new boatshed to house their rescue boats, club yachts and club member’s yachts.
