Beach hut size angers residents

A traditional chalet at West Bexington, which went on sale for £280,000

Residents living by some of the world's most expensive beach huts say a large new chalet is spoiling the "iconic" row of buildings.

The huts at West Bexington, Dorset, can sell for anything up to £340,000.

Planning permission was granted for the new chalet in April 2007 but it was only as building work developed that residents noticed its scale.

Lester Cowling, of the West Bexington Heritage Group, said: This spoils the integrity of an iconic row of chalets."

The other 13 chalets have stood in West Bexington for more than 70 years.

This one catches the eye immediately and simply stands out Lester Cowling West Bexington Heritage Group

The huts have views overlooking Lyme Bay's Chesil Beach, an area of outstanding natural beauty and part of the World Heritage Jurassic Coastline.

"Planning permission should never have been given. Our gripe here is with the council not the owner," Mr Cowling said.

"They have become possibly the most expensive beach chalets in the world not because they are luxurious but because they are evocative of a time of simpler pleasures, and that's why people have paid over a quarter of a million for them."

He said the development meant there was a risk of the area becoming like Sandbanks - a waterfront area of Poole dubbed Britain's Palm Beach.

"It is so sad. This row of chalets, which have been there since 1933 and those which have been rebuilt, have been done sensitively until now but this one catches the eye immediately and simply stands out."

The chalet's owner is being asked by West Dorset District Council to paint it in a sensitive colour to help it blend in with its surroundings.