For 38 years, Richard Beachman has made his way to the beach at Murrays Bay. It's not hard, he lives just across the road from the water's edge.
For most of that time, the Murrays Bay Sailing Club has occupied a prominent spot. Between the residents and the boats, it's been a little crowded. Cars whizzing by on Beach Rd mean there's nowhere for either group to spread out. But that could change next year.
A proposed land swap between the sailing club and North Shore City Council is going ahead, with the club applying for resource consent this month.
Mr Beachman is ecstatic.
"When the sailing club is here, there is simply no land. The beach gets covered,'' he says.
"If the whole thing, the sailing club, goes back, then the problem is solved.''
Council officers hope it will be that simple. It has taken a long time to reach the resource consent stage.
In 2005, the council bought two properties just behind the sailing club for $3 million. The plan is to move the club on to those properties and open up land at the front as a reserve for public use.
"To be fair, the plan hasn't been fully supported by local residents but there are definite merits to the idea,'' says Mr Beachman. "I think it's wonderful to open up the beach.''
The commodore of the sailing club, Kevin Brown, couldn't agree more.
"We believe this is an example of good partnership with the community,'' he says. "The club has just celebrated 50 years and this is positive planning for the next 50. It's win-win for everyone.''
Mr Brown says the beach is relatively small. "During the summer months it's used a lot. So this is about investing in the general good.''
But it hasn't been easy, he says. "We always knew we needed a bit of patience. The consultation has taken time - there are a lot of volunteer hours involved.''
And it's not over yet.
"The big challenge for us now is hooking into funding channels. All the money we raise goes into coaching but quite a bit will need to be spent in adapting the building to our needs.''
Mr Brown hopes past members as well as residents might see the value in helping.
Council parks manager Martin van Jaarsveld says the Murrays Beach project came out of public demand for more space near the water.
"Basically, we are trying to create more reserves,'' says Mr Van Jaarsveld. "Currently, there's a narrow piece of land in front of the sailing club. We want to open it up.
"Coastal land is a high priority for the council.''
Mr Van Jaarsveld says $3 million may sound a lot but the value of the land being swapped is equal to the value of the land the council will get in return.
"Once resource consent has gone through we will remove the existing building and relocate the public toilets.''
Mr Beachman knows there is still a lot of work to be done, but he's excited about the potential. "The land swap will make it more user-friendly for everyone.''
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