PLANS to build four tiers of beach huts on the seafront below a Swanage hotel have been submitted to the council.

If approved, the owners of the Pines Hotel, in Burlington Road, will build 45 beach huts on stepped terraces on the cliff face overlooking Swanage Bay.

The cliff, which suffered a major landslide in 2012, has since undergone stabilisation works. The beach huts would be constructed on a concrete platform constructed as part of the work.

The proposed beach huts feature folding doors, translucent colour panels, stone walling, as well as a green wall.

Access to the huts would be both along the beachfront and via a staircase leading from the hotel, which was constructed during the cliff stabilisation works.

Each tier of huts would feature a viewing terrace in addition to the rooftop terrace area.

In a planning statement written on behalf of the applicants, property agents Vail Williams said the scheme would provide a “significant opportunity” to provide additional tourist activity at the northern end of Swanage beach.

It would also “recoup finances associated with the robust cliff stabilisation works that have been successful undertaken,” they said.

“As part of the structural integrity of the site, and to remove the risk of continued landslide down the side of the slope into the coastline, a retaining wall was constructed to remove any the risk to the Pines Hotel and beach users below.

“This, in turn, leaves the opportunity to integrate a bespoke erection of 45 terraced beach huts and two restroom facilities connected to the hotel via private access,” they added.

The proposed beach huts are 7.9m² and would be supplied with electricity and water. Their design is similar to other huts along the beach, including those beneath the Grand Hotel.

The planning application states there would be “no net increase in geological harm” from the scheme, which would sit mainly on the concrete put in place by the cliff stabilisation works.

“Clearly due to the site’s location in an AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), the structure would also be sensitively designed and elevated to ensure that it responds to the character of the AONB in this location,” it states.

A spokesperson for Natural England confirmed it had worked with the applicant and his consultants on the proposal for the beach huts and would make a formal response “shortly”.