CLEETHORPES' iconic beach huts are up for sale.
The seafront chalets have been put on the market by North East Lincolnshire Council, offering private individuals or businesses an opportunity to own an iconic element of the town's tourist trade.
The sale, which is being handled by Grimsby-based Scotts Property, includes the 51 beach huts and nine concrete bases located on the sea side of the resort's Meridian Park area.
The leases of the individual chalet tenants would be transferred from the council to any new owners, with their rights protected until they expire in 2041.
Most of the beach huts are let at a rate of £5 a year.
Lawrence Brown, partner at Scotts, said: "The beach huts are a little gem. This sale offers an opportunity to own an iconic part of the Cleethorpes seaside.
"A purchaser would obviously have a chance to manage the beach huts by letting those which have not been let on a long-term basis, on a weekly or even seasonal basis, safe in the knowledge that there is an element of secure income from the existing tenants."
Mr Brown said the chalets would be an attractive long-term proposition for potential buyers.
"It would be a strategic purchase for someone who wants to be at the heart of the Cleethorpes tourist industry."
Existing chalet tenants said they were unsure how the sale would affect them, but expressed hope that whoever purchases the buildings would ensure they were kept in good condition.
As previously reported, the council has been criticised for allowing some of the chalets to fall into disrepair by not forcing tenants to keep them in good condition as per the terms of their leases.
Sue Lockwood, 63, of Bargate, Grimsby, who has leased a beach hut for the past three years, said she had received a letter last week informing her that the chalets were being put on the market.
She added: "We believe the lease will be transferred to the new owners and that we don't need to do anything. Whether it will affect us or not, who knows?
"We are not in a state of panic. We saw the letter and thought 'ooh crikey, how's this going to affect us?', but when we looked at the letter it didn't really tell us.
"It looks pretty straightforward but I can't see who would want to buy them. The only thing I could think of is that maybe the owners of the caravan site might be interested in taking on the site long-term."
Jane Wood, co-owner of the Hawaiian Cafe, who has two beach huts in the family, said she had not received a letter about the proposed sale.
She said: "I hope it won't affect us because we have had many a happy hour down there. There's nothing nicer than to sit down there in the afternoon sun and to look across the river.
"They are something that belong to Cleethorpes and the council should keep them. The Fitties are going, the council is selling everything off. What are we going to have left in Cleethorpes?
"But it depends on who buys it and what they are going to do. If they are going to help people restore them and make it better that would be lovely. It would be nice to see them all done up and painted lovely colours."
No one from North East Lincolnshire Council was available for comment yesterday, but Mr Scott said the authority had decided to sell the chalets because they did not form part of its core property strategy.
