Picnic benches near sandbank beach cafe can stay

Eight picnic benches near a beach cafe will be allowed to stay after gaining formal approval.

More than 650 people submitted comments for the application by the Beach House Cafe on Mudeford Sandbank, Dorset.

The majority were in support, with 616 people writing to Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council.

But opponents said the benches, which have been used informally for years, symbolised creeping commercialisation in the area.

One objector said the benches had been introduced on a temporary basis during the pandemic but "encouraged gatherings" and created "beer garden atmosphere, inconsistent with the quiet and respectful enjoyment traditionally associated with Mudeford Sandbank".

A planning meeting on Thursday heard there was disagreement between Darren Pidwell, chair of the Mudeford Sandbanks Beach Hut Association, and Richard Slater, operations manager at the Beach House about whether beach hut owners were allowed to place benches outside their huts under their licence agreements.

But the meeting was told the application only concerned the set of eight benches by the cafe, which must remain open to everyone, with the cafe responsible for cleaning and providing bins.

Councillors approved the plans in a vote of eight to one, with very little debate.

During the same meeting, councillors also agreed the Beach House could continue operating from temporary containers, with permission extended to 2027.

A new permanent building was approved in October, with building due to begin this year.