A public meeting is being held next week to discuss the first phase of a masterplan for Rhu Marina.
The Royal Northern and Clyde Yacht Club wants to leave its historic clubhouse, saying it will have to close if its plans (below) for a new clubhouse at the marina are refused.
The new clubhouse would be the first phase of the marina masterplan – the second phase would see redevelopment of the existing marina facilities while the third phase includes an expansion of the marina by infilling on the foreshore to the west of the existing marina.
Yacht clubs have been based at the current Royal Northern and Clyde Yachting Club (RNCYC) clubhouse in Rhu (above) for nearly 80 years – the Royal Northern moved there from Bute in 1937, and it has been headquarters of RNCYC since clubs merged in 1978.
But the club has told Argyll and Bute Council planning officials that costs are too prohibitive to continue in its current premises on the Gareloch.
The current B-listed clubhouse, which dates back to 1857 and sits in 4.6 acres, was put on the market by Savills in 2016.
The meeting will be on Thursday June 1 from 6pm to 9pm in the club’s current headquarters.
Details and drawings will be on display and members of the club will be present to discuss their plans, while Rhu and Shandon Community Council members will also be in there to gauge the local response.
The masterplan said: “RNCYC plans to relocate from its current premises in Rhu to a new clubhouse to be erected on the RNCYC site at Rhu Marina.
“Its current premises are no longer fit for its purposes, being a large Victorian listed building, with inadequate access to the water for, particularly, youth training and dinghy sailing, an area of activity which the club needs to develop and expand. It can only do that from purpose-built premises and facilities at the marina.
“The cost of maintaining, repairing, insuring and heating and lighting the listed building is simply prohibitive, and has caused the club to be in an annual loss-making position in recent years.
“Unless the club moves to more suitable premises at the marina, with a purpose-built slipway and boat parking area, it is inevitable that in the not very distant future the club will have to close its doors and cease to exist. Almost 200 years of yachting history on the Clyde will be lost.”
Details of the plan are on Argyll and Bute Council’s website – the reference number is 23/00615/MPLAN.
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