DOZENS more beach huts could be built at Flaghead Chine if new plans are approved.

Landowner Flagcliff Management Ltd, the directors of whom live on the clifftop, is seeking permission to erect 28 raised cabins on the eastern side of the path through the chine.

It said the “innovative” new huts would boost tourism in the area while also protecting the cliff from erosion.

“The proposed development will vastly enhance the tourism offer and modernise beachfront accommodation," a statement by consultancy Pure Town Planning says.

"Older, more traditional pitched roof or flat roof beach huts are no longer of this time – or era – in terms of style of architecture form."

Originally 36 cabins were proposed for the site across three tiers but this was scaled back following discussions with BCP Council planning officers earlier this year.

The statement adds: “The reduced number of beach huts has been carefully considered to ensure that the development would sit organically on the cliffside and enhance its natural, wooded character.

“The layout of each beach hut will offer about 13sqm of floorspace, providing plentiful space for the occupiers to store beach equipment in the enclosed unit.

“Furthermore, each will have access to an individual balcony towards the front providing panoramic views of the beach and sea beyond.”

It says that the proposal to build the structures on top of stilts which, because they are piled into the ground, will improve the stability of the cliff.

Access would be provided via a communal stepped entrance with the lowest tier of huts built 6m above ground level and the upper ones almost 10m high.

The huts would be built opposite the “seaside garden” – one of 18 projects under the Dorset Coastal Connections scheme which aims to boost the county’s coastal economy.

The council will consider the planning application in the coming weeks.