Council's £125,000 beach huts removed after sitting unused for eight years

A set of timber beach huts that cost a council £125,000 of public money to construct are now being dismantled after not being used for eight years.

Cornwall Council erected the huts at Par Sands near St Austell in 2018, as part of a broader regeneration scheme for the area.

Originally designed to serve as rental units, not a single letting has ever taken place among any of the huts - cited as the key reason for their removal.

The council has confirmed the structures will be transported away for refurbishment, before being redeployed at other sites after unsuccessful attempts to secure an operator willing to manage them.

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Ian Wilson, the Reform UK councillor representing Par, condemned the expenditure as a squandering of public funds.

He said: "Sadly, £125,000 of taxpayers' money has been wasted by Cornwall Council."

Mr Wilson expressed frustration over repeated efforts to bring the huts into active use having amounted to nothing.

Addressing 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."

According to the councillor, discussions with the council ultimately collapsed over unresolved administrative obstacles, preventing any agreement from being finalised.

The parish council itself also explored the possibility of assuming responsibility for the huts, but ultimately decided against it.

Chairwoman Caroline Wildish said that the offer came with alarming strings attached.

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

The parish authority concluded that taking on the financial burden of upkeep, alongside the restrictive terms imposed by Cornwall Council, simply could not be justified.

It 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 attracted criticism from the outset, with local residents raising concerns about both the expense and their positioning.

Situated behind the dunes alongside a public toilet block, the huts offer no view of the beach whatsoever.

A Freedom of Information request submitted in 2024 confirmed that the council had spent the six-figure sum on construction, without ever managing to let the undesirable units.

A Cornwall Council spokesman 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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