IT’S been almost a year since Islington Boat Club (IBC) was forced to close over building safety concerns and a loss of confidence in the way it was being run – but following an overhaul at the top the club has announced it is set to reopen.

The boat club, which first opened in 1970 after activist Crystal Hale fought off attempts to turn City Basin into a carpark, is now set to return this summer.

At the time of its closure the club was mired in accusations on both sides: the council accused IBC of mismanagement and IBC said the council had let them down as landlords.

But this week it appeared that was in the past as the club’s new chair of the trustees, Eric Sorensen, looked ahead to when it could begin serving the local community.

Mr Sorensen, chair of Angel Association and regarded as a safe pair of hands by the council, has vast experience in running organisations, including the London Docklands Development Corporation and government departments.

He said: “I have lived close to the canal for 40 years and we have always valued the boat club, like many other neighbours. My children used the club. When it got into difficulties and closed we were obviously very concerned about the loss of this great local club so a small group of locals got ourselves elected as trustees and I now chair the club, which is a charity.”

He praised Councillor Martin Klute for “being enormously helpful” in improving the relationship between the IBC and the council, which has led to Islington agreeing to part-fund some refurbishment of its building.

Club manager Sarah-Jane Elvin welcomed the changes: “I’m really looking forward to reopening. We’ve  been able to do a few offsite things but it’ll be nice to be on our own water. There’s nothing quite like it. We’ve got to look to the future and how we re-open.

“We’re all aware of needing to do things differently. I think it’s understanding that the whole organisation needed a bit of shift not necessarily away from anything – it’s about understanding they were running it during lockdown; they hadn’t got a manager, there were things that weren’t in place.”

She said that as part of the changes some trustees stood down while others joined. There are now seven trustees and 72 committee members.

Among the changes expected at the building are cubicles in the showers, improvements to the changing rooms and access to the water.