THE CLUB SITE
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLUB SITE
CLUBHOUSE UPDATE 16TH JULY 2024
Following the approval from the Broads Authority to the variation application to our planning permission for the smaller internal dimensions for the clubhouse, the sub-committee team worked on the application for the capital grant from NNDC from their UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The grant application required 3 quotes for all aspects of the project construction in order to show due diligence in sourcing the best prices, so the team obtained a number of different quotes for each element of the build, including the foundations, the clubhouse and the decking.
The total build cost for the clubhouse will be a few pennies short of £40k, so the grant application was asking for an award of £30k, which is 75% of the total cost.
The quotes were all collated and submitted with the application, along with a number of other legalities that were requested including a copy of the lease, copies of the planning permission, confirmation of lead times from suppliers, evidence of funding etc.
On Monday 15th July, NNDC confirmed that EACC had been successful in the grant application, and had been awarded a grant of £30k towards the clubhouse!
The sub-committee team is now moving at pace to instruct suppliers with proceeding to action their quotes, and we are working with the suppliers to confirm lead times and delivery schedules in order to ensure each phase of the project is planned and ready to proceed.
As a consequence, members are likely to experience an amount of disruption on the moorings as building materials and timber are delivered and held on the moorings, so we ask for your patience and understanding whilst the foundations are constructed in time for the arrival of the clubhouse around mid September.
With the first two deliveries of materials being mainly telegraph poles, timber and paving slabs for the foundations, the team really need help and support from club members with moving these heavy and bulky items. The only way to transport the materials to the moorings is by river, so we need help with lifting and shifting every item from the staithe via the safety boats to the moorings.
If you are available to help in any way over the next couple of weeks, please contact Skipper for more information. Exact dates are TBC, but we are going to need help on either Saturday 27th July or Saturday 3rd August, subject to the delivery dates from the suppliers.
Jamie Martin-Bennett
Skipper
CLUBHOUSE UPDATE 24TH JUNE 2024
The variation to the planning permission with the smaller internal dimensions mentioned below has been granted.
CLUBHOUSE UPDATE 17TH JUNE 2024
The fund raising sub-committee have been working hard since the AGM in December 2023 to understand the next stages of the construction of the clubhouse, particularly with regards to understanding the costs and the different methods of construction for both the foundations and the clubhouse.
The sub-committee started with an expectation that the club would have professionally installed foundations and the members would build the clubhouse from scratch. However, it quickly became apparent that there were a number of challenges with building the clubhouse as per the original plans from 2020, mainly due to the size of the clubhouse, and the complexity of the foundations requiring building regulation submissions that added significant cost and difficulties to the build.
As a consequence, the team investigated options to reduce the size of the clubhouse from 40sqm to 30sqm internal floor area since this significantly reduced costs and the need to submit to building regulation control. We could then build the foundations ourselves and purchase an off-the-shelf clubhouse, and have this erected by the supplier. The EACC Committee discussed this proposal and agreed with the recommendations made by the sub-committee team.
Whilst investigating the challenges with the build, the fund-raising sub-committee also began to look for grants to fund the clubhouse, and following a call with North Norfolk District Council they learnt that there was a UK Shared Prosperity Fund capital grant available that could fund up to 75% of the project available. The team met representatives from NNDC at the moorings to talk through the project and they were very receptive to the idea and showed a positive interest in financially supporting the club. The grant is only available for 2024, and the project must be completed before the grant pays out, so the sub committee were given a very clear deadline that the clubhouse must be completed by the end of the year if we wanted to apply for the grant.
To qualify for the grant the applicants must have full planning permission in place, and so the sub-committee began to delve deep into the detail of the planning permission from 2020 and quickly learnt that a smaller clubhouse would require a variation application to be made to the Broads Authority asking for permission to amend the design to a smaller building. Therefore, working with the clubhouse supplier, the team submitted a variation application for a building of 30sqm internal area – and with an outside measurements of 7.05m x 4.55m – 32 sq m. The variation application was submitted on 13th May and goes to the Planning Committee on 21stJune and on which we are optimistic that they will grant us permission.
In addition to full planning, the grant application requires 3 written quotes for each part of the project, and so the team have been sourcing a number of quotes for each element of the build, including the foundations, the clubhouse and the decking. These will all be collated and submitted with the grant application as long as we receive a positive outcome to the planning variation application.
All in all it has been a very busy 6 months for the sub-committee team since the AGM, and if both the planning application and grant funding are approved in the coming weeks we will be looking to begin works on the foundations in July working through into August, with a potential clubhouse build date around late September, followed by any additional works to include fitting the decking and cladding, and the team are therefore confident we will complete the clubhouse build before the end of the year as required by the grant conditions.
In order to achieve these dates however, the team will be reaching out for help and support from members so if you interested in helping please contact Skipper for more information.
Jamie Martin-Bennett
Skipper - 17th June 2024
GROUND TESTING
Ground testing for screw piles has been untertaken on the club site.
We await the results with interest.
25th January 2024
Photo Right: Tom Moore
UPDATE 5.2.2024: The ground testing above suggests that screw piles will not be a suitable option on our site and as a result viable alternatives are being investigated.
FUND RAISING SUB COMMITTEE SET UP 8th JANUARY 2024
At the committee meeting on 8th January 2024 a fund raising sub committee was formed to investigate and apply for grants to pay-back the costs incurred as agreed at the 2023 AGM.
AGREEMENT TO PROCEED WAS MADE AT THE 2023 AGM
At the AGM on 9th December 2023 a presentation and proposal to build a clubhouse on the EACC moorings was made by Tom Moore.
The current situation was summarised with regards the approved planning permission that is in place for the clubhouse and the proposed building design.
An overview of potential building materials that could be used and likely costs was given, and a summary of possible piling issues and solutions.
Tom kindly offered to fund the project on the proviso a Fund Raising Sub-Committee was set up to investigate and apply for grants to pay-back the costs incurred.
The proposal was to ask for a ‘Go / No Go’ from the members to empower the committee to go ahead with the next stage of the development to understand in more detail the costs and construction methods before starting any works.
Questions from the members:
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1) Planning permission was 3 years ago, has this expired? No – works have already started by
building the shed so there are no issues with the PP
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2) Were the moorings over-topped in the recent flooding? Would this be an issue? No – the
shed was fine and proposed screw pilings will keep the clubhouse 100mm clear of the
ground
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3) Once the site is developed will there be an increase in rent from the landlord? No – the
landowner is fully aware of the plans and the rent is locked down in the new 7 year lease.
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4) What is the usage of the building? Will all members have access to it? Is it only for club events? Will moorings holders have access to the clubhouse? Yes – similar to the shed there is likely to be a combination lock that will allow members to have access at all times.
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5) Is there an option for a toilet? Yes – compost toilet is an option and is approved in the PP.
Proposed by Colin Chettleburgh, Seconded by Ian Stewart. 17 voted for, 1 voted against, 4 abstained. Proposal was approved to proceed to build the clubhouse.
THE ORIGINAL PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT OF THE CLUB SITE
15th June 2020
You will be aware that for some time the EACC committee has been considering the possibility of a clubhouse on our moorings. The club was offered the lease of the adjoining plot and new building, but the extra land had no advantage to the club, equally there were no additional moorings and eventually the rental cost of this proved to be prohibitive. This led us to thinking about the condition of the existing storage facilities on the EACC site. The small shed is no longer fit for purpose and the green box, although still in reasonable condition has limited space and a somewhat cumbersome lid. A sub-committee was formed to consider the problem.
The original idea for the shed was a garden shed, bought from a standard shed manufacturer and measuring about 12’ x 8’ to sit on the same site as the existing storage. The budget for this was about £1000 for the shed and the same or a bit more for the necessary drawings and the planning permission.
As planning approval was needed, the committee agreed to submit a planning application to the Broads Authority for a shed to replace both the tin shed and the green box. After much consultation with the landowner, their agent and the Broads Authority, we decided to include on this planning application a plan for a new clubhouse. The committee is aware that the club does not have the financial resources, nor the agreement from club members, to erect a clubhouse but felt the opportunity was too good to let pass. The sub-committee will investigate costs including securing grants for the construction of the entire development.
This application was drawn up professionally and we are pleased to tell EACC members that we have been granted planning permission for both the storage shed and a potential clubhouse. There are conditions attached to the permission, but they are all solvable.
The Committee agreed that the replacement of the storage shed really cannot wait and has decided that this must be done whatever happens with the potential clubhouse. We are therefore pursuing quotes from shed manufacturers and investigating grants.
The clubhouse will be costed carefully and together with the cost of the storage shed, the sub- committee will seek grants. If available this could cover the cost of the whole development of the site. If a grant is not available then the clubhouse will not be built, but we will still proceed with the storage shed from existing club funds.
The Committee fully realises this will be an ongoing commitment for the club in future years. So, rest assured that before we progress with the clubhouse we will have a discussion with the membership of EACC, either at the next AGM or at an EGM.
Tom Moore is the lead in this project, please speak to him or any member of the committee if you have any further questions.
15th June 2020