Yacht club plans could reshape harbour's dress-circle views

Construction of the 65-space car park would involve excavating 3.3 metres, more than a metre below the water line.

The members-only club had originally planned to reclaim part of the bay for its car park, but it backed down when Woollahra Council said reclamation of the harbour was banned.

The development is expected to cost $12.5 million and will include nine extra berths for yachts up to 20 metres long.

The club, which is best known as the home of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race, has 204 berths and 27 moorings. The new berths alone could bring in as much as $162,000 a year to the club.

While the seawall would be partially pulled down as part of the building works, it would be rebuilt once work is complete.

If the plans are approved later this year, the club’s building work will have to comply with strict environmental rules.

The plans also include the demolition of some of its 1970s buildings, a car park, slipway, decks and wharves, to be replaced with a two-storey building.

The club’s chief executive, Mark Woolff, said the new facilities would create room for its junior sailing program. He also said there was a strong demand for berths on the harbour from the club’s 2715 members, who pay $500 to join and $545 a year to maintain their membership.

Members include some of Sydney’s establishment. Its board includes the barrister Michael Cranitch, the chairman of the accounting firm Grant Thornton, Paul Billingham, and an RBS investment banker, Nick Kingsmill.

The club acknowledges that the development ”may result in view loss from some nearby residences” in New Beach Road.

The original plans attracted 50 objections from concerned residents and 27 letters of support. The current plans attracted eight letters of objection and one of support.

The Woollahra Council town planner, Peter Kauter, is expected to finalise his report by the end of next month. The report will then go to the joint regional planning panel for a decision.

One resident, Maurice Seamonds, who has lived on New Beach Road for 40 years, was concerned about the expansion of the number of yachts in the bay.

He said the bay already had enough boats, especially since the adjacent D’Albora marina had a further 95 berths.