Beach hut owners in Brightlingsea and across the district will be moved from rental agreements to leases under new rules agreed by Tendring District Council (TDC).

The council says the move to leases – which will be introduced from April 2024 – will give hut owners more security and follows a public consultation which attracted over 4,000 responses.

However, it is also likely to increase the cost of owning a hut as lease rates could be based on the commercial value of a hut – some of which change hands for tens of thousands of pounds.

The new beach hut strategy – the current one has been in existence since 2013 – makes the formation of beach hut rental businesses possible. TDC will issue commercial leases from this April for anyone wanting to let out their hut for more than 10 days a year.

Commercial leases – which will be based on market value with the rate dependent on location – will cover items such as accessibility and safety. Private owners will be able to rent out their huts for up to 10 days annually.

Hut rental has proved controversial. While it brings in extra cash for some, the use of the huts for parties and large family gatherings has annoyed other owners and many of those who responded to the consultation were against the practice.

New beach hut owners will be limited to one lease per household and all huts will be expected to conform to council specifications. Owners could be given up to two years to remove adaptations – such as decking – which fall outside the guidelines.

The council says that it is considering additional staff to ensure licence conditions are complied with and to take “appropriate enforcement action where necessary”. A digital licensing and complaints system is under consideration.

However, it adds: “The council will need to consider how this would be funded to ensure complaints are acted upon in a timely manner.”

Councillors requested that the council ensured that future charges are set at “a fair and reasonable level” and raised concerns about the cost of bringing in the leasing system, and of administering it in the future.

Alex Porter, TDC’s cabinet member for leisure and tourism, claimed the recommendations created new business opportunities and are a better deal for local residents.

“We have listened to the feedback provided and feel these proposals represent a modernisation of beach hut agreements,” he said.

“The new strategy will provide more security for hut owners, an exciting business opportunity for those who want to run a beach hut rental business and, help to invest in further improvements to our wonderful seafronts for the benefit of all.“

• TDC licences most of the 3,000 beach huts in the district, including some in Brightlingsea. Beach huts on Brightlingsea Town Council land aren’t affected by the strategy.

The TDC report can be found here, from page 165.