Beach lounge: What’s happening with Batch Ambleside?

A popular beachside gathering spot at West Vancouver’s Ambleside Beach is facing delays in opening this summer over bureaucratic red tape.

Batch outdoor pop-up opened behind the Ferry Building Gallery next to Ambleside Pier last July for the first time on the North Shore.

The pop-up lounge, which operated from a converted shipping container, served drinks on an outdoor beachside patio on weekends and Friday evenings through until the end of September.

The beachside hangout, which also featured live music in the evenings, proved extremely popular.

“It was a huge success,” said Maureen O’Brien, executive director of the Ambleside Dundarave Business Improvement Association. “People just loved it.”

The venue was dog and kid friendly, which made it especially popular with young families, said O’Brien.

The Ambleside pop-up is the third location of the Batch beach lounge concept – other Batch locations are operated by West Van native and former pro hockey player John Negrin in both Kitsilano and the Plaza of Nations.

But with sizzling summer temperatures already here, the West Vancouver Batch lounge location has remained conspicuously closed.

Negrin said he’s working on it, and hoping to get all the permits in place to open mid-July.

“We’re really excited about making it permanent and a long-term destination,” he said.

Unfortunately that’s also been a big source of the delay this year, he said.

“When you call something a pilot and you’re able to try something out, there’s not nearly as much red tape.”

Negrin said he doesn’t blame any particular government department for the delays – which include the municipality, Vancouver Coastal Health and the province.

“I think everybody wants it to happen tomorrow,” he said. “But once you start getting into it and involving all the different departments and all the different parties involved, it seems very simple, but there’s actually quite a bit of complexity that comes with it.”

Last year, Batch started up as a temporary pilot project, which meant Vancouver Coastal Health – which regulates all food and beverage establishments – only granted Batch a series of temporary permits. It also meant the lounge was able to operate with a portable sink for hand washing and make use of the nearby public washroom facilities.

But continuing for a second season has come with more bureaucracy. To operate longer-term means the lounge is required to put in more permanent amenities like sinks and washrooms. There’s also the question of location. Batch’s existing location includes the provincial foreshore, which was fine for a temporary pilot project. Longer term occupation, however, might involve more permits and formal agreements.

Negrin said as far as he’s concerned, “there’s no one roadblocking it.”

“I’ve done it in other municipalities,” he said. “And every time it takes longer than we’d hoped.”

“The Plaza of Nations proposal took me two years to get that container down on the ground.”

Negrin said he’s still hoping to get permission to open the current location on a temporary basis while longer-term permanent plans are being finalized for Ambleside.

“I’m optimistic that we will open,” he said. “I wish it was open earlier. But we’re going to get it there. And we’re looking forward to being there long term and having an awesome summer.”

Negrin said he currently has contractors assessing the feasibility and costs of putting in infrastructure to both the current location and another site near the Ferry Building that isn’t on provincial land. But he acknowledged that getting permits for a more permanent solution will likely not happen quickly.

Meanwhile local residents and beachgoers have made their desire to have Batch open sooner than later clear to West Vancouver council, with many flooding the municipality with letters of support and posting on social media.

“I’d sure like to know what the problem is. We live in very close proximity to Batch Ambleside. While we had some trepidation at first, Batch ended up being a delightful addition to the neighbourhood,” wrote Terry Picha on Facebook.

O’Brien said local businesses are very supportive of the lounge, which provided some welcome vibrancy to the West Vancouver waterfront. Everyone is hopeful a solution can be found to allow Batch to open this summer in its current location, she said.

“This is a small business. Small businesses are struggling so much right now,” she said. “It’s bureaucracy and red tape.”