PLANS by Arun District Council to add 20 beach huts to Littlehampton Promenade have been refused by its own development control committee.

The application, to add a row of ten huts opposite the bottom of Norfolk Road, with another ten tagged on to the existing rows along the promenade, was rejected.

One of the main concerns raised by the committee was the way the new huts would spoil the view, while questions were also asked about how accessible they would be to people who use wheelchairs.

Richard Bower (Con, East Preston) said: “We do need more beach huts but we need them in the right place – and this is not the right place.”

Mr Bower asked why the huts could not be built further along the seafront opposite The Wave leisure centre – but was told the shingle there was ‘unsatisfactory’.

The council owns 60 beach huts in Littlehampton and another 32 in Felpham, which are let out on an annual lease.

While the commercial benefits of building more huts was not a planning issue, the meeting was told that demand for them was high, with 200 expressions of interest already received.

This annoyed some of the committee and they focussed firmly on the location, density and access issues, considering whether to defer the plans for more information or to refuse them.

After a lengthy discussion, they decided by nine votes to four to refuse due to the lack of information about accessibility and the impact the number and position of the huts would have on the area.

Billy Blanchard-Cooper (Lib Dem, Brookfield) said: “I do think adding the extra beach huts to the seafront will be beneficial [but] I do have concerns we’ll be blocking in the gaps between them slightly too much.

“Particularly the ones as you come down Norfolk Road are really blocking that view of the seafront.”