Kiss of life for Wellington surf club and cafe

ANDREW GORRIE/The Dominion Post

SUPPORT CREW: Maranui Surf Club and cafe supporters gather to celebrate the council's decision to give them the building.

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Wellington's well-known Maranui Surf Club has been thrown a lifeline.

A rescue deal will see Wellington City Council give the historic building to the club.

A proposal to demolish the Lyall Bay landmark – which will cost about $750,000 to repair after a fire – had provoked a public outcry from club supporters and fans of the popular Maranui Surf Club Cafe, which had sub-leased the upper floor.

Under a deal announced today, the club gets ownership of the building, along with $350,000 of ratepayers' money toward repairs, and will lease the land from the council.

Mayor Kerry Prendergast said the council had heeded "the overwhelming message from the public ... that the building should be saved".

Giving the building to the club was a "more fiscally efficient proposal for the council" than bearing the total cost of restoration and maintenance.

She said the spat had been "complicated" by issues raised by Lyall Bay Surf Club, from which Maranui split in 1911.

Lyall Bay members were aggrieved that Maranui could benefit from public funds when their request for $500,000 toward a new building had been refused.

However, they have been appeased with the prospect of a grant of up to $300,000 toward the $1.8 million complex, if it includes public toilets and changing rooms.

This will allow the council to demolish the existing rundown public facilities on the beachfront.

The Lyall Bay club, which outgrew its current premises more than 20 years ago.

"In an ideal world, we would have just one building on the beach, but there have been two clubs at Lyall Bay since 1911 and they both have strong identities and membership," Ms Prendergast said.

"This is a win-win outcome for everyone."

The proposal will be considered and voted on by the council next Thursday.

Maranui Surf Club chairman Peter Clark said the club had "thought long and hard" about taking back the building, which it handed to the council 10 years ago.

At that time, the club was struggling financially. The council maintains it always owned the building.

"It's a big responsibility taking on a heritage building and we haven't made this decision lightly," he said.

"But we believe this gives us more control over our destiny and we have the support in the community and among our members to look after it long term."

The club would meet the $400,000 shortfall through fundraising and voluntary labour by club members who were skilled tradespeople.

It hopes to start work by Christmas and the building should be fully restored within 18 months of the transfer date.

SLICE OF HISTORY

Maranui Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1911 and is the second-oldest surf lifesaving club in New Zealand.

Its distinctive white wooden clubhouse on Lyall Pde was built in 1930 and a second storey was added in 1956. It is not on the Historic Places Trust register but is listed as a heritage building by Wellington City Council.

According to its listing, the clubroom building is "modern in style, its strong cubic form and narrow horizontal weatherboards making it a prominent structure on the sweep of Lyall Bay".

The club is one of New Zealand's most successful surf lifesaving clubs and has won many national, provincial and local titles.

The club had a resurgence in popularity after the cafe opened in 2005.

- © Fairfax NZ News