Commissioners to end Peel Sailing Club lease

Peel Sailing and Cruising Club currently holds the lease at The Rocket House

The clubhouse lease held by a western sailing club will not be renewed when it expires in 2028, the local authority has said.

Peel Sailing and Cruising Club currently holds the lease at the Rocket House but the town's commissioners have announced it will be put out to tender following refurbishment.

Local authority chairman Christine Moughtin said the board intended to consider the "whole area" to explore what would be "advantageous to the town".

But the sailing club said no discussions were held prior to it being informed and members were "extremely disappointed and concerned" by the decision.

'Fit for purpose'

Peel Commissioners own the site, located on Shore Road, along with the former police station, laundrette and toilets.

Ms Moughtin said as the old police station was directly behind the site, the authority "could do something different and utilise more building" because it was "ripe to do something with that would benefit the town".

"We really need to see what we have got and how we can redevelop it to make it better," she said.

While the building would remain the same, aspects of the interior needed to be updated - including the electrics, plumbing, roof and windows - and once refurbished the site would be subject to "the usual tender process", Ms Moughtin added.

Town clerk Derek Sewell said that after any long-term lease the commissioners would want to look at the "structural integrity" of the building and make sure it was "fit for purpose" for its next tenancy.

Vice commodore at Peel Sailing and Cruising Club Andrew Hall said that the site was a "community hub", also used by the Moddey Dhoo motorcycle club and the RNLI.

All the money raised by the sailing club went "back into refurbishing the building", he added.