New Beach Huts

Posted on Tuesday, 21 December 2010 09:43AM by Gerald Gilbert

After a world-wide design competition for disabled access beach huts the development is now going ahead on Boscombe seafront. The new huts called ‘Seagull and Windbreak’ are to be situated by Boscombe pier along with a disabled access car park and disabled access to the beach. The competition which was funded by the Government agency ‘Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment’ had 167 entries from as far away as Europe, the United States, China, and Japan and the winner was designer Peter Francis Lewis from Brighton. He said:”It’s great, fantastic. I’m really proud and flattered.” He explained that the winning design was based on traditional British countryside icons. It combined the two elements of Seagull and windbreak to give a dramatic feel. He was made aware of the competition through the designers magazine ’Design week.’ Andrew Emery, the service development manager for Boscombe Sea Front Services, explained that the winner was picked by a selection committee. It included disabled users themselves.  Also locals from Boscombe had their say in the chosen entries. He said: “The huts are the first of their kind in the country, (they are an) Iconic unusual design.” The idea came after a consultation with a disabled access group called DOTS and Bournemouth Seafront Services.