Empty beach huts that cost council £125k removed

Beach huts that cost a council £125,000 to build are being removed after sitting unused for eight years.

The timber huts were installed at Par Sands near St Austell, Cornwall, in 2018 as part of a wider regeneration project. However, despite being intended as rental units, they have never been let.

Cornwall Council confirmed the huts were being taken away so they could be refurbished and reused at other council-owned sites after efforts to find an operator failed, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Ian Wilson, Reform UK councillor for Par, had said: "Sadly, £125,000 of taxpayers' money has been wasted by Cornwall Council."

Wilson said he had been disappointed that attempts to get the huts into use had not succeeded.

Speaking at a meeting of Tywardreath and Par Parish Council in May, he said: "This was a big disappointment for me as a lot of effort went into trying to get the huts back in use."

Wilson said negotiations with the council had broken down because it had been unable to resolve bureaucratic issues, meaning no agreement was reached.

Parish council chairwoman Caroline Wildish said councillors had considered taking on the huts but decided against it.

"We were offered the beach huts with very tight conditions including maintenance," she said.

"After discussion, the councillors agreed that this would not be a good use of our funds and Cornwall Council have said they will be removed."

The huts were controversial from the start, with some residents questioning both the cost and the location.

Built behind the dunes next to a public toilet block, they do not overlook the beach.

A Freedom of Information request in 2024 revealed the council had spent the six-figure sum constructing the huts but had never successfully rented them out.

A council spokesperson said: "Despite seeking a tenant to manage the beach huts at Par through tendering and engagement we have been unable to find an operator for them.

"We are now removing the huts so they can be refurbished and repurposed at alternative council-owned locations."

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