PLANS TO BUILD colourful beach huts along a stretch of the Findhorn coastline have been approved by Moray Councillors.
Planning officers recommended refusal of the bid by a local company to create the 30 huts because they felt they would “detract from the amenity of the beach and unspoilt character of the area”.
A planning meeting on Tuesday was told that there had been 175 letters objecting to the plans – mainly from people who lived in the village or nearby Forres. Included in the list of objectors was the Kinloss Community Council.
However, councillors voted by eight to six to approve the plan after hearing that there was no opposition from either Scottish Natural Heritage or the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
In addition there was no objection raised by the council’s own development management section – a spokesman for whom said that the huts would “significantly enhance Findhorn as a Tourist destination.”
The planned huts will each have an internal footprint of 2×2.5 metres with one door and no windows. They will be finished in various external colours and will have no water supply or electricity.
The huts will stand on timber piles to minimise the risk of flooding from unusually high tides.
Behind the plan is 1Architects, for whom managing director Ian Sutherland McCook insisted that they would take their responsibility “very seriously” by building the huts in a way that would not interfere with summer activities.
He added: “There is already a high demand for the huts and we have spoken to a lot of people locally who are fully in favour of them.”
However, villagers were angered by the decision, one saying: “This will be a disaster for Findhorn.”