Heacham beach hut owners angry at huge rents but can't sell
In the last three years, the annual ground rent charges have risen by £200 to £730 a year
Since the days of the Victorians, Heacham has drawn in generations of visitors looking to luxuriate in its sunsets over the water and golden sands gently receding into the Wash.
Over the years, many have invested in the charming beach huts that line the shore.
But the tide now seems to have turned for them, with owners saying their beloved colourful chalets have become far from desirable – and are near-impossible to sell.
They have blamed rents imposed by West Norfolk Council for taking the fun out of owning their beach huts, which is threatening to tear the community apart.
In the last three years, the annual ground rent charges have risen by £200 to £730 a year, which has left many debating whether to sell after the huts became unaffordable.
Those who have attempted to find a new owner have struggled to find anyone willing to take them on due to having to pay a £2,000 transfer fee.
Their plight has been exacerbated by pollution problems, leaving the coastal waters unsafe to swim in – another crisis that is affecting their desirability.
These factors combined have left beach hut owners stuck in a “vicious circle” of having to pay the high rents or give up the plot and hut entirely, with little chance of selling.
The row is threatening to tear apart friendships formed over decades, as people leave, and some huts have already been abandoned.
'Community crumbling'
For many Heacham hut owners, the sites have been passed down among family members for multiple generations and have been visited by the same people for decades.
A strong community has developed there, with visitors looking forward to seeing their friends at neighbouring huts during the summer months.
But the rising costs are threatening to erode this fraternity.
Gary Hall, who has visited his family’s hut in Heacham since the 1980s, said: “It has taken away the community there and the companionship built up over the years.
“They have destroyed something special through their greed.”
Pam Slote, a retiree from Wisbech, added: “We feel incandescent and very cross.”
Beach hut plots are being returned to the council due to people being unable to afford them and also failing to find a new owner.
Several sites have been left vacant for this season.
While huts across the Wash in Lincolnshire can fetch £20,000 and the upmarket chalets in Wells go for eye-watering sums in the region of £100,000, it is a different story in Heacham.
People have failed to sell them for £10,000, with one recently going to auction for just £6,000.
“Due to the costs, people I have spoken to have said they would not touch them with a barge pole due to the high costs,” Mr Hall added.
David French, 78, is considering giving up his hut.
“They are killing the goose that laid the golden egg,” he said.
Huts get hefty
Comparatively, Heacham’s huts could be seen as a bargain.
North Norfolk District Council charges more than £900 for a five-year lease for its huts in Sheringham, Cromer, Overstrand and Mundesley.
In Great Yarmouth and Gorleston, annual rent will set you back between £2,260 and £2,690.
Closer to Heacham, huts in Hunstanton about a mile to the north will set you back £837.
But Heacham’s hut owners argue that while cheaper, they are still not getting value for money as they can only use them six months a year due to flooding risks.
They are also unable to swim there due to the pollution problems.
Unsafe waters?
Heacham is one of about 40 beaches in England where the water quality has been rated as “poor” by the Environment Agency.
It has been this way since 2021, determined through annual testing by the Environment Agency.
Signs warning bathers to avoid entering the water are dotted around the beach, which has been deemed unsafe due to high levels of bacteria and other pollutants that can make people ill if ingested.
The problem has been blamed on sea birds feeding on the mudflats of the Wash, although these claims are debated and a definitive consensus of the cause is yet to be reached.
It has led to Heacham being dubbed “Norfolk’s most noxious beach”.
Bans on swimming are adding to the hut owners’ frustrations.
Mr Hall said: “The council has said the prices are competitive with North Norfolk District Council.
“But they have blue flag beaches, can use them year-round and they have much better facilities, whereas we have to travel to Hunstanton to even go swimming.
“When I raised this with the council, they said: ‘At least we have nice sunsets.'”
Change on the horizon?
The frustrated beach hut owners have complained frequently to WNC and officers and councillors have met with those concerned.
A spokeswoman for West Norfolk Council has indicated there could be changes in the future but they are yet to be confirmed and the details have not been revealed publicly.
She said: “While it is important to note that these are the conditions that all parties signed up to, we acknowledge that during the 10-year period of the leases, changing market circumstances mean that some of these conditions may not be as suitable as they were when agreed in 2016.
“We are sympathetic to the position of the owners and intend to address these issues during renewal discussions, in time for the leases to be renewed early next year.”
As for Heacham’s water quality report, locals are facing an anxious wait to find out if they will be able to once again swim in the sea.
A determination by the EA is expected later this year following summer testing.