Littlehampton beach huts

The Littlehampton Beach Hut Project obtained planning permission for 13 beach huts on Littlehampton’s seafront in March, three of which will be accessible and rented out to local charities or ‘suitable’ organisations, according to Arun District Council officers.

The renting of the huts was delegated to the group head of planning by the economy committee as a special meeting on Monday, November 20.

The council’s properties, estates and facilities manager, Sam Horwill, said officers had reached out to several Arun charities and organisations to fill the accessible huts, but interest had been ‘low’ – stating the cost of renting and running the huts might be ‘prohibitive’ for potential tenants.

He said if the huts could not be filled by ‘a suitable and willing organisation’, the council might ‘lease directly to individuals’ as with the other huts.

The project has a budget of £260,000, and the council hopes to have the huts in place and leased out to tenants by summer 2024 – with the project expected to break even by 2037, five years later than originally quoted.

Shaun Gunner (Con, Rustington East), said although he was in support of developing beach huts as a ‘revenue maker’, this project did not ‘paint a great picture’ of the council’s ability to generate income.

Mike Northeast (Lab, Courtwick with Toddington) said he had talked to a group willing to occupy one of the huts, but the project ‘didn’t just end at the beach hut’, saying it needed other facilities to complement the huts, like changing places.