Fury in pretty UK seaside town as locals say it’s been 'turned into Ibiza’
Beach hut owners in one of the UK's most idyllic towns have been left outraged as their once relaxing haven has been ‘turned into Ibiza.'
Hut owners along Christchurch Harbour in Dorset have been left raging after a prestigious restaurant has descended into chaos. They say the Beach House was once a well-respected and high-end restaurant with panoramic views of the English Channel but it’s now like an "open-air festival" and has become a "drinker’s paradise".
The 350 huts along the Mudeford sandbank are worth up to £500,000 each. Those who own a beach hut along the harbour argue they are becoming devalued and less sought-after because of the foul language and drunken behaviour they believe the restaurant attracts. Some owners have even accused people of urinating on their decking.
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Suzie Bath said she travels down from London to visit her beach hut, but is met with more noise pollution there than in the capital. She explained: “Sadly I hardly recognise the Beach House in its current incarnation.
“I am a mother to a two-year-old and it saddens me that when I put her to bed at night I can hear loud music, rowdy crowds and an almost festival-like atmosphere each evening.” Other beach hut owners agreed, expressing fears about their safety and comparing it to an Ibiza rave. One even described witnessing people arm-wrestling near children eating ice cream.
Mudeford Sandbank Beach Hut Association, which represents the hut owners along the coast, has applied for the premises' licence to be reviewed. It’s asking for alcohol to be restricted and only served to tables with food, the removal of the open-air bar service and for conditions to be imposed to control noise.
Kim Slater, owner of the Beach House, has strongly disputed the complaints and believes it’s all down to blatant snobbery. He said: “We vehemently disagree with their assessment. We are keenly aware of our responsibilities to not just run a business, but act as a de facto guardian of the area. We litter pick regularly, provide shop facilities, offer huttie discounts, and we create jobs.
"I believe that throughout our long trading history we have demonstrated consistent responsibility, integrity, and commitment to upholding the licensing objectives.”
He added that Environmental Health has only received complaints about excessive noise on 4 days in the last 5 years and the most recent one, on August 22, was following a birthday party held by one of the hut owners.
The restaurant was destroyed by fire in 2018 and the owners sought permission to operate the Beach House from 3 shipping containers while the council sorted out a replacement. However, 7 years later, there’s no replacement or permanent building. Kim said this was down to factors out of his control.
Only accessible by foot, the area is a sandy haven with cars strictly forbidden. The Beach House is the one of very few restaurants along the harbour. A proposed floating bar was denied a bid by the local council after hut owners feared it would bring noise and litter to the quaint area.
