Felixstowe: Hut and chalet owners call for fairer deal in rent row
Angry beach hut owners protesting against beach hut and chalet rent rises at Felixstowe. - Credit: Archant
BEACH hut owners and chalet tenants are today demanding that their rent money is ring-fenced and spent on resort facilities to improve Felixstowe.
Angry beach hut owners protesting against beach hut and chalet rent rises at Felixstowe. - Credit: Archant
They are also calling for a reassurance that fees will be pegged next year following this year’s 20% rises for chalets and 12% increases for huts.
The steering group for the new hut and chalet association has sent a series of tough questions to Suffolk Coastal as its step up its fight for a fairer deal for the money people pay for their sites.
The association is to be formally formed at a special meeting being planned for June 24.
In the letter to council chief executive Stephen Baker, leader of the council Ray Herring and cabinet member Geoff Holdcroft, the group says: “Please can we have some reassurance that license fees will not be increased next year?
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“As Suffolk Coastal has highlighted to us that this is a commercial enterprise please can a revised license agreement be drawn up that only allows license fee increases in line with the retail prices index?”
It also asks the council to ring-fence the money raised from beach huts and chalets with the cash then ploughed back into “resort Felixstowe”.
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The letter said: “We would very much like to see this money being re-invested in achieving a blue flag for Felixstowe beach.
“The chalets have had no investment for six years, so in view of the circa £420,000 of income having been generated in this time from this ‘asset’ we would particularly like to know the specific plans for the chalets as many are falling into terrible disrepair and are not fit for purpose.”
The huts and chalets together net the council £465,000 a year.
Facilities requested include new toilets, new showers, and new access points to the beach.
Mr Holdcroft has indicated he will be answering all the questions and points made.
The council has said hut and chalet prices are still good value for money and the authority needs to generate enough income to ensure it can still provide free services visitors to Felixstowe enjoy, such as public toilets, and street cleansing.
