About 18 months ago the Club was approached by a firm called CTIL, who manage infrastructure for O2. They have a tower on top of the Naval Building and needed to find a temporary location for a mast if/when the buildings were sold. We have been in discussions with them to licence their use of the upper area of the Club’s rear garden. They have been paying us since April 2014, when it was clear they needed to prep the area by running in a fibre optic cable.
The sale of the buildings seems to have gone through now, as they have been given notice to leave by the end of the month. We have been in intense discussions over the last few days about them deploying the mast and associated equipment, including a temporary generator, before the end of the month. Due to site conditions and mast selection they have asked to use additional space between the Engine Shed and the Ladies Changing room to locate the mast itself. The mast will be secured to a steel and concrete base about 4m x 4m x 1.2m high, that they will assemble on site. Due to the increased area they need, we have agreed a higher annual licence fee. Anyone interested in the amount can work it out, it is equivalent to just over 30no Ordinary memberships.
The licence is renewed every six months, so both parties can withdraw if necessary. They will be with us until they find a permanent location, possibly on the roof of one of the new buildings next door or somewhere else with the required height. We could have them for a few years.
Please be aware that there will be men, materials and machinery (incl. cranes) working in and adjacent to the rear garden from next week. They will be gaining access down the rear stairs at the front entrance. There may be some periodic short term disruption to access, but trust that the membership will appreciate the financial benefit. We have already spent some of it on the external redecoration of the clubhouse during the summer, and the major overhaul of the balcony stairs. Other targets for using this extra, unbudgeted, income include the Ladies Changing facilities and Powder Room.
Adam Graham
Hon. Secretary