Nicola Baird runs Stand Up Paddleboarding lessons from Islington Boat Club. Photos: Nicola Baird

AFTER months of secrecy, the Tribune can reveal a celebrated community boat club could be demolished and rebuilt with flats in the “airspace” above.

Martin Klute, St Peter and Canalside councillor and chair of the planning committee, confirmed the rebuild is “one option the council is considering at a very early stage”.

Islington Boat Club closed abruptly on May 6 following a safety inspection by surveyors, who returned what Cllr Klute described as a “damning report” on the state of the building.

He said: “The story that report told was of almost complete and utter absence of maintenance of any sort: there were bare wires, the boiler’s been condemned, there were things being stuck back up with gaffer tape.”

Even the pontoon is now “unsafe – it’s in danger of sinking,” Cllr Klute said, adding: “The boat club is now a dangerous place. They’ve drifted into this situation with their eyes shut. Deterioration has been going on for years and the boat club hasn’t been doing much about it. Obviously the council wouldn’t take the decision lightly to close [it], but we had no choice.”

Fixing the building in its current “dilapidated state” would now be too expensive, Cllr Klute said, adding: “The council’s view is getting on with trying to rebuild the premises but to take advantage of the airspace above it to get affordable housing in there.”

The boat club’s existence is guaranteed by the council’s “Local Plan”, however, and Cllr Klute said: “I’m very keen to see boating access there – it’s council policy for there to be a boating club, but it’s unbelievable we’re not making better use [of the City Road Basin].”

A new residential block would help “cross-fund” the new boat club, Cllr Klute said. “Something has to pay for the redevelopment of the boat club. [One way to do that] is to cross-fund with private developments … we’re looking at getting social housing in there as well. It would be the council’s development or a joint venture with a housing association.”

Another option the council was considering was “to find another source of funding the build – [perhaps] some beneficial person to throw money at it,” he said.

Nicola Baird, who runs Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) lessons from the boat club, said: “It’s super upsetting that the club is closed. There’s a little community of paddle boarders who don’t meet up any more.”

She warned a residential complex, in which people can walk freely through the boating club, could lead to “safeguarding” issues, adding that “in general, residential and children having fun, which involves noise, doesn’t work well.”

She said the community is still waiting to hear an official update from the council or the boating club. “In the meantime, you’ve got a whole community that can’t get water skills. They’re looking at that water, it’s just really depressing.”

Meanwhile, Graham McBride, whose artist studio had been based at the club, said he was given two hours to vacate the building after the surveyors’ visit.

“It was a rare find, it had good natural light and a pleasant outlook. I’ve been studioless [since then],” he said.

Ian Shacklock, of Friends of Regent’s Park Canal, said the boating club had been used by generations of children. Of the closure he said: “We’re shocked and saddened. We hope at least part of it can get up and running as quickly as possible.”

In a joint statement, Islington Boat Club and Islington Council said: “We continue to work and solve the significant health and safety issues connected to the boat club’s premises at Graham Street.

“We will continue to assess options to reopen the site, and again offer highly-valued water activ­ities to the community.

“The boat club continues to be very grateful for the support of the community.”