BEACH hut owners in a UK coastal town have fumed a seaside bar is turning their home into an “Ibiza rave scene”.
The hut-dwellers seethed The at Mudeford, , has transformed from an upmarket restaurant to an open-air “festival” and “drinker’s paradise.”
Wealthy beach hut owners are at war with a restaurantCredit: BNPS
The restaurant is located on a sandy penninsulaCredit: BNPS
Many have complained of “loutish drunken behaviour” including foul language and people urinating against expensive because the public toilet queues are too long.
Others raged they come across lounging on the decking of their beach huts that are worth up to £500,000 each.
But according to the owner of the restaurant, Kim Slater, many are showing signs of “blatant snobbery” as he accused them of taking part in a with hunt against him.
The matter has come to the fore as the Mudeford Sandbank Beach Hut Association (MSBHA), which represents hut owners, has applied for the premises’ licence to be reviewed.
The group is calling for strict conditions to be imposed on the restaurant with a view of revoking its licence if it fails to meet them.
The 350 huts sit on the Mudeford sandbank – a remote spit in Christchurch Harbour.
The sought-after spot can only be reached on foot, ferry or train as are forbidden in the area.
The Beach House is the only restaurant on the sandy peninsula.
A fire destroyed the building in 2018 and the owners received permission for a temporary set up in three shipping containers while the council made plans for a replacement.
But seven years on and a permanent building is still yet to be seen.
Hut owner Suzie Bath said she initially thought the Slaters had created something “special”.
She said: “The food was fantastic, the setting was upmarket and it added much value to the sandbank.
“Sadly I hardly recognise the Beach House in its current incarnation. After the fire we were told that the current setup was a temporary solution but now, six years later, it is clear that that is by no means the intention of the owner.
“I am now 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.
“We live in and come to our beach hut for peace, not to be bothered by more noise .”
Fellow hutter Tony Webb described the “loutish drunken behaviour of the day trippers treating the place like it’s a beach rave in Magaluf” and said the noise has become “unbearable”.
I hardly recognise the Beach House in its current incarnation
Hut owner Suzie Bath
He said: “When challenged they become menacing, threatening violence. Some have threatened to burn my hut down. As all hutters I am happy to share the beach with day trippers as long as they behave in a civilised manner.”
Another huttie Jojo Huggins added: “We used to love the peaceful, natural beauty of Mudeford Sandbank.
“It now often feels like an rave with loud music spilling out, and has spoiled our enjoyment of the area, which we believe should be protected for generations.”
Meanwhile, local Elizabeth Pritchard said it is “only a matter of time before there is a serious accident” with drunken customers getting into boats “with alcohol blood levels that would result in a hefty fine, if behind the wheel of a car”.
Another resident, Paul Owen said: “I have witnessed foul-language, arm-wrestling and vomiting, even while queuing with young grandchildren for an ice cream.
“This is not what the sandbank is meant to be. A space that should feel safe for children has instead been undermined by behaviour more suited to parts of beach — but unlike there, we cannot simply move elsewhere. This is our home.”
The popular beach is based in DorsetCredit: BNPS
The 350 huts sit on a remote spit in Christchurch Harbour.Credit: BNPS
The Beach House is the only restaurant on the sandy peninsula.Credit: BNPS
The MSBHA is asking the licensing committee to restrict alcohol sales to table service with food, remove the open-air bar service, impose conditions to control noise and waste and have defined consumption areas.
The restaurant owners have said the measures the hutters are proposing are “Draconian and disproportionate”.
Mr Slater 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.
“We believe that this is a special place and that we have a responsibility to keep it so, for everyone.
This is not what the sandbank is meant to be
Resident Paul Owen
“I believe that throughout our long trading history we have demonstrated consistent responsibility, integrity, and commitment to upholding the licensing objectives.”
He said Environmental Health has only received complaints about excessive noise on four days in the last five years and the most recent one, on August 22 this year, was a birthday party held by one of the hut owners.
They said the officer’s review concluded ‘no nuisance was substantiated’ on any of the complaints.
He said: “The demands of the applicants are becoming increasingly prescriptive, to the point of absurdity.
“The promotion of the licensing objectives does not require such detailed control over what may be sold by the Beach House, or from where.”
I can hear loud music, rowdy crowds and an almost festival like atmosphere each evening
Suzy Bath
Some hut owners said they were not consulted by the association about the application and do not agree with it.
Hut owner Martin Stewart described the suggestion of a risk to children as “ludicrous” and suggested objectors were “clutching at straws”.
Simon Vivian said: “As a lifelong member of the beach hut association I was shocked and upset to hear the licence has been called into question by a few members without a formal consultation of all members.
“The Beach House forms an integral part of the beach community, serving the needs of the visiting public and resident hut owners. As a family we have always found it to be a safe and welcoming place.”
Mr Slater said the rebuild of a permanent structure had been delayed by “factors beyond our control”.
Plans for a replacement restaurant were finally approved last month by BCP Council. Conditions for that new building include a noise management plan.
The beach huts are worth up to £500,000Credit: BNPS 
