After months of uncertainty over the future of the Three Anchor Bay boat sheds, the City of Cape Town has taken a step towards resolving the issue by inviting the newly established Three Anchor Bay Paddler’s Club to apply to lease the long-standing facilities.

Phillip Viljoen, spokesperson for the club, said the City contacted them through email late last month and invited the team to submit an application to lease the sheds.

“The City sent us an email with an application form to lease the sheds. This is progress, it means that something is happening at last. It seems like the City wants to resolve this. Now we as a club will meet and decide how we will proceed,” he said.

Viljoen said the club, which represents about 50 members of the paddling community, will meet on Monday 17 August to decide whether it will apply to lease all 13 boat sheds or only five.

The future of the sheds has been uncertain since the death of leaseholder Arthur Fincham, whose estate held the lease.

The sheds, currently occupied by Cape Kayak and several individual paddlers, have been used to store kayaks and surf skis for almost three decades.

Users were initially expected to vacate the premises at the end of April after receiving an eviction notice.

Trace Rauch, owner of Cape Kayak and Fincham’s former wife, previously told People’s Post that they had remained in contact with the City in an effort to find a solution.

In May, representatives of the newly formed paddlers’ club met with officials from the City’s Recreation and Parks Department and Ward 54 councillor Nicola Jowell to discuss the future of the facility.

Following the meeting, the eviction deadline was extended while discussions continued.

At the time, Viljoen said the sheds were a vital hub for the paddling community and had been maintained by users for many years, with paddlers often funding repairs themselves after storm damage.

During earlier discussions, Shanti Stuart, founder of Truth Kayaking, also proposed that unused sheds be made available for community programmes focused on tourism training, guided kayaking and ocean skills development.

Speaking to People’s Post, Jowell confirmed that City officials will meet later this month to discuss the future management of the Three Anchor Bay boat sheds and consider the way forward for the lease process.

Responding to queries, the City said City of Cape Town said: “The department is currently looking into the matter and will respond once the information is collated and verified.”