Cornwall Council removes £125,000 beach huts which have never been used
Cornwall Council has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money after it started removing beach huts – which cost the authority £125,000 and have never been used in the eight years they have sat near a popular beach.
The timber huts were built on land adjacent to Par Sands beach, near St Austell, in 2018 with locals saying then that they would be a waste of money. They were built by Cornwall Council for £125,000 and have never been rented out or made any money.
The council has now admitted it has been unable to find anyone to manage the huts and they are in the process of being removed so they can be refurbished and placed at other council-owned locations.
Ian Wilson, the Reform UK councillor for Par on Cornwall Council, told Tywardreath and Par Parish Council in May: “I had to express my disappointment with Cornwall Council who, at first, seemed interested in working with me to get the Par beach huts in use. Sadly, negotiation broke down with the council being unable to untie itself from its own bureaucratic knots and thus no agreement was reached.
“Sadly, £125,000 of taxpayers’ money has been wasted by Cornwall Council. This was a big disappointment for me as a lot of effort went into trying to get the huts back in use.”
Cllr Caroline Wildish, chair of the parish council, noted at the same meeting: “We were offered the beach huts with very tight conditions including maintenance of them and told it was a commercial opportunity. After discussion, the councillors agreed that this would not be a good use of our funds and Cornwall Council have said they will be removed.”
A Par resident posted a photo on social media this week of the first of the huts being removed, which attracted almost 200 critical comments concerning the “waste of money”.
At the time they were installed, Jordan Rowse, who was the Cornwall councillor for Par and St Blazey, said there had been “overwhelming support” for the plans that were part of the regeneration of Par beach. He said they would be available for anyone to rent and use.
There was criticism over the money being spent on them as well as on the chosen location – a piece of land which sits behind the dunes at the edge of the beach. It’s next to a public toilet block and does not have a view of the beach.
In 2024, a member of the public submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request which revealed how the council spent the six-figure sum building them but had never rented them out successfully nor made a penny.
A spokesperson for the council told us this week: “Despite seeking a tenant to manage the beach huts at Par through tendering and engagement we have been unable to find an operator for them.
“We are now removing the huts so they can be refurbished and repurposed at alternative council-owned locations.
“We have been working with Par Beach Management Group to explore future uses of the space at the beach and nature reserve which could include picnic tables and seating.”