A proposal to erect a new beach club at the former Sonesta property in Southampton has been given planning approval.

The application, first submitted by Sinky Bay Limited in December, and revised earlier this year, proposed the construction of a new, four storey building overlooking Boat Bay Beach on the South Shore site.

The Green family, who purchased the property for $10.5 million last March, had said they planned to erect a beach club at the site to provide an additional amenity for guests at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, which they also own.

According to the minutes of the April 2 meeting of the Development Applications Board (DAB), technical officers recommended the project be approved.

During the meeting, the board questioned the technical officer over whether a new dock included in the plan would exacerbate the occasional algae problems in the bay.

The minutes stated that the technical officer said she was aware of the algae issue, saying it could be caused by either the physical layout of the bay, or its proximity to the sewage outfall of Henry VII, neither of which would be impacted by the erection of the new dock.

The technical officer also stressed: “Tests have been done on the water and it is safe for human use, albeit not aesthetically pleasing.”

Questioned about the project, the technical officer said that while the facility will be affiliated with the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, it will be open to the general public as well as guests.

The board also heard that the instillation of long tail nests are included in planned foreshore remediation at the site, but was unable to confirm if tennis courts included in the plan would have lights.

After consideration, the DAB approved the application under several conditions, including that all details associated with lighting for the tennis courts be submitted as part of the Building Permit application, and be subject to the approval of the Planning Department.