Lowestoft beach huts decision delayed

Approval for striking new beach huts on Lowestoft’s Jubilee Parade due to be given by East Suffolk Council yesterday (April 13) has been delayed.

The application for 72 beach huts to replace the old concrete chalets closed in 2016 and demolished last year was lodged by Chaplin Farrant Ltd by appointment of East Suffolk Council, and on the agenda for the authority’s planning north committee this afternoon.

However, the plans were withdrawn from the meeting’s agenda just days before at the request of the head of planning.

The council’s updated report said:

"The reason for the withdrawal is that the consultation period will not have been completed by the time the application would have been heard by the committee at this meeting.

"Therefore, to ensure a full assessment of all representations is properly undertaken, and thus enabling members to consider these carefully, an updated report will be submitted to committee at a future meeting."

A date for its return has not been formally confirmed, but sources indicate it will likely be at the next meeting of the planning north committee on 13 May.

Reports which had originally been published head of the meeting - and recommending approval for the scheme - will be updated to ensure the latest consultation comments are included.

The consultation, launched on March 21, ends on April 16 this week. Lowestoft Town Council is meeting tonight to discuss its response to the proposals.

The £2.6million plans have sparked widespread debate for their modern designs, which Chaplin Farrant in its application said is 'designed to be reminiscent of, and echo the neighbouring undulating pitched roofs typical of a shore front frontage. It is an arrangement which hopes to reconcile the very modern design within its traditional context'.

Some public responses so far have praised the designs for being 'exciting and unusual' and 'innovative and contemporary'. However, others have been more damning, branding them 'ugly and unsuitable', 'eye-jarring' and 'awful'.

The huts will be constructed over two tiers with associated access stairs and platform, alongside six accessible beach huts.

The old huts dating back to the 1930s and vacated in 2016 were no longer considered viable amid fears over their structural integrity, and since their demolition last year cliff stabilisation work has been ongoing, due to be completed next month.