Controversial removal of beach huts from Felixstowe Spa in Suffolk gets underway

A campaigner who has tried to save the beach huts at Felixstowe's historic Spa area has described it as 'devastating' to see them being removed.

Yesterday, cranes began taking the huts off the promenade despite a campaign by beach hut owners to preserve this seaside heritage.

East Suffolk Council has said it must consider the safety and convenience of other users of the prom, and that is why the placement of 44 huts on the hardstanding path near the Felixstowe Spa was only ever intended as a 'temporary measure'.

Normally, the huts reside on the beach in the summer and are placed on the prom over the winter, but the district council said there was no safe option for returning the huts to their original location due to the unavoidable loss of beach material in recent years.

While alternative locations have been found for 30 of the 44 beach huts, 14 still have no-where to go following the refusal of a planning application by East Suffolk Council yesterday that would have accommodated them.

In a statement issued to SuffolkNews today, a spokesperson for East Suffolk Council said work was underway to relocate the 30 beach huts to their new licensed sites.

They said in consultation with beach hut owners, it had explored all reasonable options to retain the huts in their current location, but there was no safe option for their return to the original beach location, nor their current, temporary location, which impacts on other users of the promenade.

The spokesperson said the council would be contacting the owners of the 14 huts in due course to discuss the next steps.

Crime writer Ruth Dugdall, who owns one of the 14 huts without a site, said: "It's devastating to see them being moved, but even more devastating for the 14 beach huts that have no-where to go, including me.

"We are the absolute losers here - we are all losers, including Felixstowe."

She urged bosses at East Suffolk Council to 'sit around the table' with the beach hut owners to find a solution, adding owners currently had four plans of their own.

"I'm really reaching out to the council to contact us and to start working with us on a solution," she added.

She talked of the 'huge' emotional distress to the beach hut owners and added: "It's not a good way to treat the people of your town."

She said she was now 'in limbo' as she has 'no idea' what was happening with her beach hut, which she has owned for many years.

The spokesperson for East Suffolk Council added: “The council is disappointed with the outcome of its application to the planning authority [East Suffolk Council] for a new row of huts at Manor End for the relocation of the 14 remaining beach huts at the Spa, which was rejected at the planning committee meeting on 22 November. The council will be contacting these hut owners in due course to discuss the next steps.”

It is understood the Spa location could be one of the UK's first spots for static beach huts dating back to the 19th century.

Beach huts are in private ownership and the owners pay an annual licence fee to East Suffolk Council to site them.