The fashion for owning traditional English beach huts is showing no signs of waning, and now, for the first time, members of the public will soon be able to buy one of 14 prime beach huts overlooking Poole Bay, and they could earn Bournemouth Council an unprecedented sum. The new, purpose built chalets will be sold on 25-year leases using a sealed bid system, and despite the fact that the living quarters will be minimal, interest is expected to be high. ?Currently people can rent a private beach hut site for a one year lease and then they have to erect their own beach hut on that site. But beach hut living is so popular in Bournemouth and we currently have a 10 year waiting list for this option,? said Seafront Services Business Development Manager, Chris Saunders. Located on a raised terrace above ?The Royal Balcony? promenade at Durley Chine, the chalets will have stunning views across Poole Bay with Old Harry Rocks to the west and the Isle of Wight to the east. Because Bournemouth Council has never sold beach huts in the area, they are unsure as to how much they will fetch, but some astonishing precedents have been set in recent months. One similar chalet nearby was reportedly sold in 2004 for £70,000. Members of the public are invited to send in sealed bids to the Bournemouth Seafront Office by April 4.
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'The view changes with the seasons, so there’s always something new to see': David Beckham on one of his favourite sights in the CotswoldsSir David Beckham discovered this Cotswolds view while looking for a house to buy.
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'A bluff, honest man in the trappings of greatness': The extraordinary story of the Foundling Hospital, and the sailor who saved the abandoned children of LondonA remarkable charitable endeavour to save abandoned children on the streets of London has a touching legacy in the form of the The Foundling Museum in the very centre of London. John Goodall tells its story; photographs by Will Pryce.
