AUTHOR Bill Bryson has joined the fight to stop new beach huts from being built in Highcliffe as part of a TV competition.

The ‘Notes From a Small Island’ writer said the contest by George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces to find the best designs for the new huts was “ill-considered”.

Hundreds of locals are outraged that 12 overnight huts have been given permission to be built on the Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Christchurch council has been accused of being “star-struck” after rubber stamping the scheme without consulting residents.

A petition against the plans has now gathered more than 1,000 signatures, and a recent public meeting saw people turned away after more than 100 showed up for answers.

Mr Bryson, former president for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, has now written a letter in support of the action group Friends of Highcliffe Beaches and Cliffs.

The 64-year-old, who lived in nearby Mudeford in the 1970s, said: “Thanks for drawing my attention to the plan to build beach huts at Highcliffe.

“It seems a very ill-considered plan from what I can see and the secretiveness of the council seems absolutely inexcusable."

The competition is being run by Plum Pictures with the backing of the council and is open to anyone.

Those who come up with the 12 best designs will be given £8,000 to build the huts near Highcliffe Castle.

Some 67 detailed plans and models have been submitted for the competition.

Building and filming is expected to start in September and the huts will be rented out by the council to holidaymakers.

The progress and final result will be featured in a special four-part miniseries with the celebrity architect, who is also known for his work on The Restoration Man.

But geologist Peter Fenning has raised concerned about the effects of the huts on the stability of the cliff face.

He said: "These cliffs have been messed around quite a bit by past works, particularly to prevent coastal erosion, so there is a lot of loose material about.

"You don't want to do anything to disturb the draining pattern that the council has already put in. I feel that putting in a series of huts - with all the problems of water drainage - laying pipes and putting in heavy foundations will cause damage."

Residents have also asked questions about sanitation and the business plan for renting out the huts.

Jo Pollen, from the action group, said: "The council has a lot of answers to give and residents are not happy.

"What the beach huts will look like plays a big part of the concerns.

"The production company are looking for something that's going to stand out and all the people designing them will want to make them iconic.

"People are worried that we could end up with something Barbie pink or a Darth Vader hut, but the main worry is the sheer size they will be.

"The council are just blatantly ignoring our concerns. They seem to have been blinded by the fact it will be on TV.

"Even at the public meeting, Matt Reeks, from the council, kept saying that it is going to go out to the nation and means people will flock to Christchurch to have a look.

"But how long is that going to last?"

Rob Austin, who chaired the public meeting, said: "People don't want this unspoiled beach turned into Disneyworld. People are worried they are going to get some outrageous designs.

"Many are concerned about the way the council has approached the whole thing. They have done it under permitted development rather than applying for planning permission.

"If anyone else tried to build a thing like that on permitted development, the council would be down on them like a tonne of bricks."

A spokesman from Plum Pictures said they had received some 'skilled' designs for beach huts from a wide range of people.

He said: "The Beach Huts competition at Highcliffe is a very positive community project which is helping to regenerate the local area as one of its key objectives.

"The final 12 huts will be constructed under council-sanctioned permitted development with full support of Natural England.

"There has been a very positive response from skilled designers to the competition, including local residents, charities and architects amongst other knowledgeable applicants, who have been encouraged in their applications from the outset to design huts that were sympathetic to the local natural area.

"All applications will be judged by a panel comprised of Christchurch Borough Council, Plum Pictures and an expert independent judge.

"The winners will be chosen based on the strength of the designs, the feasibility of their scheme and how the huts will complement the Highcliffe surroundings."

The Echo is looking for pictures of the old beach huts on the site from the 1950s. If you have any, please let us know!

We also asked for a copy of the design parameters for those entering the competition but had no response from the TV company.