Hut property ... the £25k beach shacks
Locals snap them up despite battle
IT was a battle over a row of beach huts that went all the way to the highest court in the land.
With opinion bitterly divided over whether they constituted an eyesore or a colourful addition to the Moray coastline, it was left to the Court of Session to rule on their legality.
But with the legal challenge against the seaside sheds having failed, the first batch have now sprung up – and are selling for £25,000 each.
The huts continue to polarise views in Findhorn, where protesters describe them as an ‘intrusion’ on the landscape.
Beach walkers, though, have praised the look of them and the developers said interest had been high, with eight already snapped up and ‘strong inquiries’ about those remaining.
The legal fight over the plans ended in January after the Court of Session bid by villagers to block them was ultimately dismissed, following a drawn-out process in which 173 objections were submitted to Moray Council.
Managing director of developer 1 Architects, Ian Sutherland McCook, said he has heard praise for the huts now they are in place.
He said: ‘There have been complimentary comments. We’ve got specialists from Norfolk building them and they’ve been pleased by the general positivity.
‘There’s been hardly anybody objecting. That may be because people are still just quietly objecting, they’ve accepted it and moved on or maybe they’ve changed their mind.’
While the beach huts in Hopeman, 15 miles along the Moray coastline, boast kitchens and tables, Findhorn’s have been kept to a more modest scale. Mr Sutherland added: ‘We’ve kept them small because they’re not suitable for any kind of shortterm occupancy. They are a shelter for the beach.’
But while basic, there is scope for interior development of the sort seen elsewhere in the UK.
Ten huts have been built so far, with another five due to be put in
‘They don’t need to be there’
place in the coming weeks. The remaining 15 will be built following the tourist season.
Findhorn campaigner Maureen Hyde fought against the huts and said she had not changed her mind since they went up. The protest group still needs to raise £10,000 to cover its failed legal bid to have the project halted.
Mrs Hyde said: ‘They are an intrusion, there’s no denying that. They are something that don’t need to be there. I would say that the feeling in the village is the same as it was before.
‘Everybody compares them to the ones at Hopeman, but they are totally different.’
Six of the huts have been sold to people within a 20-mile radius of Findhorn, and two more to people with ties to the area.
The reaction has been positive with some visitors on social media. Gillian McMillan wrote on Facebook: ‘Didn’t think Findhorn could get much better... but now there’s beach huts! Fabby!’ And Johnny Nachie said: ‘This is going to be an economy boost to the area – people will not need to fly to Alicante, Thailand, Caribbean for nice beaches.’
But Eilidh Smith was less impressed, writing: ‘Bit drab aren’t they?’
The South Coast of England boasts Britain’s most expensive beach huts, which regularly fetch more than £200,000.
One, on the self-styled English Riviera, at Sheldon, near Torquay, Devon, went on the market for £245,000 – though it is three times the size of those at Findhorn. It boasts a fitted kitchen, mezzanine bedroom, underfloor heating and even has a patio overlooking the harbour.