Anyone looking to rent one of the council-owned Shore Road beach huts will have to pay the whole cost upfront next year – although the overall price will not increase.
The booking of beach huts has not escaped coronavirus related disruption, so the future plans for the appropriate measures for 2021/22 were presented at the town council’s annual meeting.
Here is what visitors and residents need to know about hut hire
Currently, people who want to book a beach hut have to pay a 15 percent deposit upon booking.
But the council agreed that the current booking deposit for the beach huts will be scrapped to help ease administration.
In a report presented to councillors, it stated:
“While the 15 percent deposit has worked well for the council and the customers in the last two years, it does require a significant administrative resource during January and February.
“This is something which we are particularly keen to avoid next year as we try and ensure that our staffing and administrative capacity has the flexibility to meet any demands around a potential resurgence of COVID-19.”
Instead, people booking the huts will have to pay the full cost of the beach hut rental upfront.
Councillor Caroline Finch pointed out:
“I know that’s how the National Trust work over at Studland. On the first of September, you have to pay in full for your beach hut the next year, so I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”
Cost of hire
The £5 per day cost of beach hut hire during the winter will not increase – but users must book for two days.
It was proposed at the council meeting that the price of the Shore Road beach huts be raised from £5 per day to £8 per day to accommodate for the extra cost of cleaning after every use.
However, this motion was not followed through – instead, it was decided to require people to book a hut for a minimum of two days throughout the winter season.
Social distancing
At present, only half of all beach huts are in use due to social distancing regulations.
The council agreed that this policy of only renting out every other beach hut will continue.
It was added that if national social distancing restrictions are relaxed, the rest of these beach huts could be reopened.
Swanage Town Council did work to replace the beach hut doors, while they were unavailable to hire during lockdown
When can I book?
Anyone who wants to book a hut for next year can do so from the following dates:
- Tuesday 13th October 2020 for bookings of 10 weeks or more
- Thursday 15th October 2020 for bookings of 4 weeks or more
- Tuesday 22nd October 2020 for bookings of 1 week or more
Further information
- Bookings for a Shore Road beach hut can be made via the Swanage Town Council website.
