Site visit before decision on more Bexhill beach huts

On Thursday (February 18), Rother District Council’s planning committee considered an application (from the council itself) seeking temporary planning permission to erect a row of 20 beach huts on the foreshore below Galley Hill. 

While the scheme had been recommended for approval by officers, committee members had reservations about what impact the huts would have on the area, particularly as there had not been a site visit before it came for discussion. 

Cllr Brian Drayson said: “I just don’t see the need when we have beach huts – and I’ll declare an interest because I’ve hired one for the last two years from a local company – from the Sovereign Light Cafe all the way through almost to Galley Hill.

“I don’t see the need, for the one bit of unspoilt beach we have left, that we need to stick 20 huts on there.”

Concerns were also raised about where exactly the huts would be located in relation to the nearby footpath and whether the Combe Valley Country Park were aware of the proposals. 

In light of these concerns the committee opted to defer the scheme until a site visit could be arranged.

Planning committee chairman Jonathan Vine-Hall said: “I think the feeling is there isn’t enough knowledge about the location and how it impacts on both the path and the just the beauty of the area.”

For further details on the application see reference RR/2019/2618/P.

Huw Oxburgh , Local Democracy Reporting Service