Top white phone2xnew 01395 264607 Top white email2xnew Email us Top white webcam2xnew Webcam Top white search2xnew Basket Login Join
Home / Public Web Site / Questions and Answers for the All Member Vote on the Phase II Development
Home / Public Web Site / Questions and Answers for the All Member Vote on the Phase II Development

Questions and Answers for the All Member Vote on the Phase II Development

All member vote to determine whether to proceed with the construction of a two-floor extension incorporating a lift and moving the Best room whilst extending existing facilities including new accessible toilet.

At the EGM on November 14 we presented the costings of this extension, approximately £260,000 plus VAT. The majority of those present voted to proceed but given the scale of the investment it was made clear that an all member vote would be required. The cost can be up to 10% higher, so up to £286,000 plus VAT before we'd need to consult member's again if the majority of the membership are in favour of proceeding. The full funding proposal is detailed here and can be summarised as follows:

The club currently has £100,000 available to put towards the build. The balance will need to be raised from ideally member donations, followed by member loans, the repayment of which would need to be over 10 years and met by an all member building levy.

The proposed extension represents a very significant investment for the club which will have a financial impact on all members. For that reason I ask that you please read the information provided and then vote on the proposal. We have included a Question and Answer section to give you as much information as possible to help you consider your vote.

You may vote either online or by using a paper voting form available here or from the club manager. Please note that we would prefer as many people as possible to vote online as the system automatically tracks who has voted. Paper ballots will each be manually verified creating a significant amount of work.

The outcome of this vote will have a major impact on the club for many years to come and the debt associated may pose a risk to the club. The management committee would appreciate you spending time looking at both the benefits and risks of the proposal before voting.

If you need a reminder of the details of the extension: Details of the proposed Phase II development

Questions & Answers

  • Why did the management committee not recommend against the funding proposal when clearly most of the members of the committee are opposed to it?
  • As those present at the EGM saw the committee were not unanimous in their view over whether to proceed with a two storey extension. But equally the reasons for voting against the motion were not the same for all individuals. With so many differing opinions it was not possible for the committee to make a recommendation either way and they agreed not to do so. However many felt that the level of investment required does not add appropriate value to a sailing club and given it can only be paid for by the whole membership funding it on top of existing fees and subscriptions that there are significant risks to membership numbers and therefore the affordability of the project. These risks can be summarised as follows:
    • It is a huge debt for the size of the club. Failure to meet payments could result in the club being wound up.
    • The size of the debt would make it difficult or impossible to raise extra funds to meet any unplanned future requirement.
    • We have an ageing membership. There is a real danger that over the next 10 years that membership will decrease in numbers.
    • An increasing number of sailing clubs are in financial trouble due to demographic changes and a decrease in the popularity of the sport
    • An ever deceasing pool of volunteers means that we are increasingly having to rely on professional support for club activities this will continue to add to the running costs of the club making the loans harder to afford
    • Increasing storm ferocity and rising sea levels make it inevitable that the club will experience severe flooding over the coming years unless we take substantive action in the near future. We are outside of the Environment Agency flood defences. Defences need to be improved for both the club house and the dinghy park at the moment, we have not costed or determined what those defences might be.
    • Harbour dues present a threat of unknown magnitude. We anticipate there will be additional charges at some point in the future. Minehead sailing Club has now closed following a huge increase in the fees charged to it for accessing the water of £198 per member.
    • This is a major project that will require significant time and attention of the management committee to oversee and inevitably reduce capacity for any other initiatives that might be more directly related to sailing activities.
    • The project will involve significant disruption to club activities.
  • What are the benefits of the extension and to whom?
  • The extension provides an office / reception immediately adjacent to the front door. It provides an accessible toilet on the 1st floor. It provides a lift which will provide easier access to the 1st floor for those with limited mobility. The primary benefits will be for those with reduced mobility whilst visiting the club for social functions. The lift will also enable bar and restaurant stock to be moved between floors more easily.
  • Who might benefit from improved access to the first floor or a unisex accessible toilet?
  • There are various groups of people that would benefit from us installing a lift for a variety of reasons.
    • People with physical impairment
    • People with young children
    • Elderly and infirm people
    • Staff
    • (Any of the above) using walking-aid or with 'wheels' (e.g., wheeled-bag, pushchair, mobility scooter, wheelchair, powered wheelchair)
    All members and guests would be able to use the accessible toilet.
  • Do we have a large proportion of the membership who would benefit?
  • As a club we do have members who would benefit. Probably the largest category being elderly and infirm people. Approximately 6% of the current membership for whom we hold a date of birth for, is over 80 years old, and therefore most likely to use the new facilities, although others may also benefit see previous question. If the membership average age increases, we can expect an increase in use. We do not hold data on physically disabled members within the club. Sailing, particularly in our tidal waters is always going to be a challenge but we can expect a small rise in disabled participants under our present inclusion strategy. More detail can be found in the report from the Access Committee presented at the EGM in 2022.
  • Is a lift essential to Sailability?
  • No. Our Sailability offering takes place during the day when the bar and restaurant are closed. However some clients of Sailability are deciding to join and may benefit from improved access to social functions at the club.
  • What is wrong with the existing stair lift?
  • The current stair lift is fully operational, however it is slow and has been described by some as degrading to use. If we do not go ahead with the 2 storey extension the stair lift would be upgraded to a faster, fully automated lift which amongst other things would automatically rotate at the top of the stairs so that users can disembark directly onto the landing and be positioned to take less room at the foot of the stairs.
  • Do we have a legal obligation to provide a lift?
  • No. There is no legal requirement to install a lift. We have a both a legal and moral obligation to make reasonable provisions for access to the building for all. The existing stair-lift provides this and should we not build the two- storey extension the stair lift will be upgraded to a faster automated one.
  • What will the work cost me?
  • The club currently has £100 000 available to fund the build. The balance will need to be funded by club members, hopefully through donations and if not, through member loans. If the £160 000 balance is funded by member loans the repayment will be met by imposing a building levy. It's difficult to put an exact figure on the additional cost for each member as there are several unknowns at this point. The management committee are working on the basis of 15% of the fees for each class of membership as of January 2026. We will have a fixed amount of money to raise each year to pay back the loans and this needs to be spread over the memberships. Therefore the amount members pay will increase if memberships fall. Best estimates of the additional cost per year for 10 years for each membership type are:
    Membership Type Estimated Annual Levy*
    Adult £21
    Joint £30
    Family £32
    26-35 £16
    18-25 £11
    18-35 Joint £23
    Youth £9
    Retired Single £16
    Retired Joint £23
  • * The total annual levy will remain at a fixed value to be raised each year. The estimates above assume that membership subscriptions will rise by 3% at the 2025 AGM and are based on the current membership profile. Should membership numbers decline the levy might have to rise substantially
  • Will the proposed levy increase over time?
  • The total annual levy will remain at a fixed amount of 10% of the loans raised. The amount apportioned to individual memberships will depend on the actual number of memberships each year. Should membership levels fall the levy would have to rise significantly.
  • Will enough members loan money for the project?
  • We would encourage as many members as possible to make a donation towards the cost of the project. Loans will be sought for the outstanding amount of funding after any donations have been made. The project would need to be fully funded before works could commence. The exact terms of the loans will be finalised in the new year.
  • What happens if the funding proposal is rejected?
  • Should the funding proposal be rejected the club will redevelop the entrance to the club including the provision of an office / reception. The stair lift would be replaced by a more modern automated stair lift. The club already has the funds for this proposal. The extension would be constructed with foundation and ceiling beams in place to support the construction of a 2-storey extension in the future.
  • The club has borrowed money in the past and always repaid it. What is different now?
  • There is of course a reasonable chance that we will be able to repay the money but we should be aware that an ageing membership and flood risks and the potential for harbour dues all combine to make future finances far less certain than they once were.
  • Would the proposed extension make it easier for anyone to take part in sailing?
  • No.
  • What else does the club need to spend money on?
  • The list of essential expenses is already quite long and these are just the items we know about at the moment.
    • Cladding on seaward side of building
    • Drainage repair works
    • Refurbishment of existing downstairs hallway
    • Ongoing maintenance of existing RIB assets likely expenditure £10K to £20K PA
    • Bar and balcony furniture refurbishment/replacement together with kitchen white goods
    • Likely need for extensive repairs/re-build of race start box
    • Enhancement of flood prevention system
    • New drainage with interceptors to capture run-off from boat washing
    • Potential flood repair works
    • Replacement of heat-pumps
  • Will building the extension have an impact on day to day club activities?
  • Depending on choices made about additional grant applications it is expected that the extension will take up to 2 years to build. It is anticipated that work will commence in Autumn 2025. There is likely to be some impact on club activities for all of that time and there will be periods during that time when the impact will be severe, possibly involving closure of the bar and restaurant for several weeks , reduced car parking and cruiser storage area. It is anticipated that any closures would take place during the winter months.

Last updated 15:37 on 11 January 2025

© 2025 Exe Sailing Club powered by Sailing Club Manager