The fashion for owning traditional English beach huts is showing no signs of waning, and now, for the first time, members of the public will soon be able to buy one of 14 prime beach huts overlooking Poole Bay, and they could earn Bournemouth Council an unprecedented sum. The new, purpose built chalets will be sold on 25-year leases using a sealed bid system, and despite the fact that the living quarters will be minimal, interest is expected to be high. ?Currently people can rent a private beach hut site for a one year lease and then they have to erect their own beach hut on that site. But beach hut living is so popular in Bournemouth and we currently have a 10 year waiting list for this option,? said Seafront Services Business Development Manager, Chris Saunders. Located on a raised terrace above ?The Royal Balcony? promenade at Durley Chine, the chalets will have stunning views across Poole Bay with Old Harry Rocks to the west and the Isle of Wight to the east. Because Bournemouth Council has never sold beach huts in the area, they are unsure as to how much they will fetch, but some astonishing precedents have been set in recent months. One similar chalet nearby was reportedly sold in 2004 for £70,000. Members of the public are invited to send in sealed bids to the Bournemouth Seafront Office by April 4.
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Can't you hear me S.O.S? Our treasured native dog breeds are at risk of extinctionDo you know your Kerry blue terrier from your Lancashire heeler? A simple lack of publicity is often to blame for some of the UK's native dog breeds flying dangerously low under-the-radar.
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'There are architects and architects, but only one ARCHITECT': Sir Edwin Lutyens and the wartime Chancellor who helped launch his stellar careerClive Aslet explores the relationship between Sir Edwin Lutyens and perhaps his most important private client, the politician and financier Reginald McKenna.
