THE plans to transform part of the Hampshire coastline by replacing almost 120 storm-damaged beach huts have taken another step forward.

Civic chiefs have applied for planning permission to build new huts on the seafront at Milford on Sea – 21 months after the region was hit by one of the worst storms in living memory.

Buildings in Milford and other parts of Hampshire were ripped apart by 80mph winds that battered the area on February 14 last year.

Dubbed the Valentine’s Day Storm, the ferocious weather also wreaked havoc at Milford’s Marine cafe and restaurant, which had to be evacuated as rocks started crashing crashed through the windows and the seafront building began to flood.

The Marine has since been reopened but the remains of the beach huts were demolished in the interests of public safety.

A £1.3 million plan to replace them resulted in various designs being drawn up. The preferred option was approved by the district council’s ruling cabinet last month, despite complaints from some of the beach hut owners.

Yvette Frost criticised the design and layout, saying disabled people would find it hard to access their huts safely.

She also claimed that the huts would be narrower than their predecessors, which meant they would be longer, damper and more difficult to dry out.

But Bob Bishop, chairman of Milford Parish Council, said it was a “very imaginative” scheme representing a “compelling compromise”.

Now the council is seeking to give itself planning permission to replace the 119 privately-owned huts.

As reported in the Daily Echo, the seaside havens will be set back into the promenade in an attempt to ensure they survive any storms of the same severity.

The plan has sparked fears that people strolling along the esplanade will be able to look down at families using the structures.

In a letter to the council, Phillipa Headley, of Glebefields, Milford, describesd the design as “very good” but adds: “My key concern is the placement of the balustrade. Currently it appears to be 0.6 metres back from the front, which affords no privacy.”

If planning permission is granted the huts will be completed by next August, with beach hut owners and the council sharing the cost.