NEW beach huts planned for Shoebury should be ready by summer 2017.

The first batch of beach huts for East Beach proved extremely popular, with some selling for up to £40,000. Sun-worshippers will be delighted to hear seven more will be up for grabs next year.

In 2013 the council supported an idea by councillor Roger Hadley for beach huts to be reintroduced at East Beach- there were huts there until the Fifties.

The council ran an architectural competition which was won by Pedder & Scampton architects who were then commissioned to design, secure planning for 15 Beach Huts and then to supervise the construction of the first eight of the huts . They were ready by summer 2014.and were very popular.

They cost £110,000 to build and sold for £200,000 and now generate an ongoing revenue of £5,000 per year for the Council so have been very profitable.

The council say work is starting to bring the remaining seven beach huts forward and the intention is that the huts are finished in time for summer 2017.

Roger Hadley, Conservative councillor for Shoebury ward, is delighted at the news.

He said: “The beach huts were something I proposed years ago. The council were looking for capital and I said let’s put the beach huts back at East Beach and they’ve already made quite a bit of money.

“I think the second phase will be similar to the first phase. Not to everybody’s taste, personally I would have preferred the more traditional beach huts, but that was what was proposed by the architects.

“It is good news to hear they will be done by 2017, I think there will be a great demand for them because there is only eight down there at the moment and that is not many for a whole area.”

Ann Holland, Tory councillor responsible for culture, tourism and the economy, added:: “Beach huts are popular, very very popular and used by a lot of families.

“It is something that they can use all during the school holidays. I’m delighted that they should be ready by next summer.”