BEACH hut prices on the north Essex coast have hit a new record high of £85,000.
Just last month, the Gazette reported a record £75,000 asking price for a pink and blue striped seafront cabin off Frinton’s Esplanade.
Now, Boydens Estate Agents, in Connaught Avenue, has sold another one of the wooden huts on Frinton’s prestigious Walings - where the beach huts are on stilts - for £10,000 more than the previous eye-watering record price tag.
Most beach huts measure about 96sq ft, meaning that at £85,000 the lucky owner has paid about £885 per square foot for their new purchase.
Last year, the record high for beach huts in Frinton was £45,000, but many have soared in value as visitors have been forced to holiday in the UK due to uncertainty over Covid-19 foreign travel restrictions for a second summer.
Soaring prices: Beach huts at Frinton’s prestigious Walings, near Frinton Golf Club. Picture: Matthew Mallett
Anna Brooks, 49, who run Daisy Beach Huts, has eight beach huts in Frinton and Walton, as well as managing four others.
“A beach hut is really no more than a garden shed painted in a pretty colour,” she joked.
“But people are starting to realise how good it is to have one - if it’s overcast, raining, windy or strong sun, you can shelter and you have somewhere to make yourself a nice cup of tea.
“There has been really high demand this summer - we’re pretty much full until September now.
“There’s been a lot of interest in people wanting to buy beach huts and I have even been tempted myself to sell on but I’ve decided to keep them for now.”
“The good thing about Frinton and Walton is that the beach is massive, so it never feels crowded.”
Popular - one of Anna Brooks' many beach huts in Frinton and Walton
TalkRadio host James Max, from Frinton, also has a hut in the genteel resort.
He said: “It’s good to see people take an interest in huts and to buy them.
“And for prices to go up is in some ways comforting, although I won’t be selling.
“But I hope buyers will invest and paint them too. A hut is for life, not just a pandemic.”
Room with a view - this beach hut in Frinton sold for £75,000
Paul Howe, marketing and PR manager for Boydens, said there are daily requests from people looking to buy a hut in Frinton.
“The market for beach huts is extremely buoyant right now,” he said. “Demand is far outstripping supply.
“So we would urge anyone with a beach hut in the Frinton or Walton area to get in touch with us now if they are interested in maximising the return on their hut investment.”
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