New Beach Huts On Their Way To West Wight Seafront

Five new beach huts will be installed on a picturesque Isle of Wight seafront.

Council officers have granted Canice Holding planning permission to place five ‘sensitively designed’ huts with ‘traditional external finishes’ on land next to Pilots Point in Totland Bay.

Canice Holding’s agent, Plan Research, says the proposed wooden huts would be used to store beach items and for shelter during the day.

A statement from the consultancy says:

“Property owners in the beach area have been asked to contribute substantially towards the costs of sea defence work, as the Isle of Wight Council is no longer financially supporting sea defences at Totland Bay.

“The groynes at Totland Bay are now failing and ongoing income is required to save the promenade from being destroyed by the sea.

“Whilst we recognise that revenue from five new beach huts can only make a modest contribution annually, every little helps.

“The area of existing hardstanding where the proposed beach huts would be located is run down, and has been used as a dumping ground for skips and other waste.

“This proposal would enhance the area, as the site would need to be tidied in order for our client to rent out new beach huts.”

County Hall’s decision report says:

“Officers consider the proposal would result in a visual improvement and are satisfied that the proposal would be an attractive addition to the site complementing the wider beach scene.

“The application site holds a boundary with Pilots Point, a large apartment building located to the north-east of the application site. However, there would be a distance of over 20 metres between the development and the property and the beach hut would be of such small scale that there would be no detrimental impact to the occupants of Pilots Point.”

Planners attached four conditions to the approval to comply with Island planning policy and national legislation and to protect the amenities of neighbouring properties and the Isle of Wight National Landscape.

Totland Parish Council supported proposal 25/00530/FUL:

“After discussing this application at the meeting held on May 19, councillors support this application. A request to remove the container and skip and generally improve this area would help.”