Beach huts ‘costing £125,000’ removed from Cornwall beach after failing to bring in any money in five years

Colorful beach huts lined along the beach, filled with people basking in the sun, are a common sight in many seaside towns.

But that apparently isn’t the case for the row of 22 huts near Par Sands beach, close to St Austell.

The wooden structures were built by Cornwall Council in 2018 and were reported to have cost £125,000, according to a Freedom of Information Act request previously submitted by a member of the public.

But since they were founded eight years ago, they have never been rented out and have never made any money.

The municipality decided to remove the beach huts when they could not find anyone to manage them.

It is currently undergoing renovation work before moving to other locations owned by the municipality.

Local Reform UK councilor Ian Wilson described the result as a ‘huge disappointment’.

Accordingly Cornwall LiveHe told Tywardreath and Par Parish Council: ‘Sadly £125,000 of taxpayers’ money has been wasted by Cornwall Council.

‘This was a huge disappointment for me as so much effort had gone into bringing the cottages back into use.’

Major Wilson claimed that he had personally tried to save the cottages, even offering to manage them free of charge and pay for public liability insurance.

he said Cornish Times: ‘I tried to set these up as a beach-style marketplace where local arts, crafts and products could be displayed and sold, and had local artisans queuing up to use a few of the huts; The hope was that once it was up and running, others would be encouraged to join.

‘I offered to run the cottages myself, free of charge, as a volunteer and even personally pay for the public liability insurance required by Cornwall Council. ‘I had an offer ready to go.’

But he said he “couldn’t get past Cornwall Council’s internal bureaucracy and was forced to capitulate and give up”.

Locals have expressed their frustrations on social media over the years; Including a comment on one of Major Wilson’s posts on Facebook: ‘I’m sure the locals would love to rent these on an annual basis. I can’t understand why they’ve sat empty and rotting for so long when they could have made back their cost.’

Another fumed: ‘Put beach huts on the beach and you’ll find people will want to rent them when they’re in completely the wrong place.’

Cornwall Council said the total cost of the project in 2024 was £124,567 at the time.

The cottages have never been rented and have not made any money since they were built in 2018

The FOI response said: ‘The cottages at Par have not been let to date and no income has been generated.’

At one point, smaller cottages (150cm x 180cm) were offered for an annual fee of £900, while larger cottages (240cm x 180cm) would have an annual rent of £1,100. It is currently unknown how much the rental fee will be.

The council’s response continued: “The beach hut installation was completed in 2019, meaning the first year they were ready for work was 2020, which was affected by the lockdowns of the Covid pandemic and therefore they were not allowed out.”

‘Since then, Cornwall Council has conducted three open tender rounds to find an executive tenant, the most recent in Spring 2024, and aims to hold a further open tender round ahead of the 2025 season.’

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council told the Daily Mail: ‘Despite seeking a tenant to manage the beach huts at Par through tender and contract, we have been unable to find an operator for them.

‘We are now removing the sheds so they can be refurbished and reused at alternative council-owned sites.

‘We are working with Par Beach Management Group to explore future uses of the space, which could include picnic tables and seating at the beach and nature reserve.’