Often-overlooked English beach reveals plans to open new ‘water attraction’ with cafe and 93 chalets
A MAJOR refurb of an often-overlooked English beach has been revealed – including plans for an eye-catching water sports park.
Locals in Romney Marsh could soon see its coastline undergo a major facelift – with a cafe and education space also being discussed.
Folkestone & Hythe district council has resubmitted plans to uproot the seafront car park to make way for the elaborate space – transforming the coastal stretch into a hub for locals and tourists alike.
The application also includes permission to install chalet-style public bathrooms and changing rooms, Kent Online reported.
The luxury huts will be painted in a spectrum of eye-catching colours and will line the 175m coast.
“The Marsh coastal areas are much loved throughout the summer season and welcome large numbers of tourists,” the submitted document reads.
“These coastal areas are important as they are providing recreational space to both local residents and visitors.
“The proposal to include 93 beach huts will help address the high demand there is in the Folkestone & Hythe district, which currently has a waiting list of 700 residents for these facilities.”
But some residents fear their town will attract inconsiderate day-trippers.
“I cannot see how this will bring any benefit to the local community, in fact it will create more pressure on our already overstretched facilities,” one local wrote.
“There is already not enough parking and local people will suffer day trippers parking inconsiderately and very often illegally/dangerously as they already occasionally do in the summertime.
“Who is going to clear up after these people?”
However, town councillor David Wimble said he supports the creative venture.
“I think it’s a great idea and I’m 100% behind it,” he said.
“It will be fit for purpose visitor centre with a decent car park and the cafe shop will also be good for tourism.
“I do think however that local people should be given first refusal on the beach huts.”
SANDS BAD
Elsewhere, another UK beach which was recently named one of the best in the country may not be around for long.
Covhithe Beach is a wild beach in Suffolk, meaning you won’t see many tourists.
It was recently named one of the best under-the-radar beaches in the UK by both The Times and The Telegraph.
However, despite being named one of the prettiest, it also suffers from the highest rate of erosion in the UK.
Attempts have been made to reduce the speed of the erosion, although it is likely the beach will disappear in the next 100 years.
There is already not enough parking and local people will suffer day trippers parking inconsiderately and very often illegally/dangerously as they already occasionally do in the summertime
Romney Marsh local
Some experts fear it could be gone as soon as 2040.
If you can’t make it to Suffolk, there are a number of other hidden beaches in the UK to investigate.
In Kent, there is Palm Bay which is away from the main Margate Sands.
Instead, it has the Walpole Bay Lido – the largest of it’s kind in the country – as well as a stretch of sand that mainly locals visit.
Worbarrow Bay in Dorset is also rather secluded, being a 20 minute journey you can only make by foot.
And here’s a hidden cove in Dartmouth that only locals know about.