A beach club has been ordered to tear down its new outdoor seating area that was built without planning permission – after locals branded it a ‘metal monstrosity’.

Silver Sands Beach Club built the ‘eyesore’ as an elevated seating area structure next to its premises at North Beach, Heacham, West Norfolk.

But villagers objected to the structure after the beach club applied to West Norfolk Council for retrospective planning permission.

Posting on the authority’s planning portal, Jan Whitehead said the ‘towering, ugly’ structure is ‘completely out of character’ with the area.

She wrote: ‘This metal monstrosity detracts from the natural beauty of the beach and protected marshland nearby. It will further deter the visitors that Heacham’s economy relies on.’

Silver Sands Beach Club built the ‘eyesore’ as an elevated seating area structure next to its premises at North Beach, Heacham, West Norfolk

Villagers objected to the structure after the beach club applied to West Norfolk Council for retrospective planning permission

West Norfolk Council has refused the planning application and is now in talks with the club over the removal of the structure

Ian Evans said: ‘This raised platform is more representative of an industrial site, such as an oil refinery or a chemical works.

‘It has a dominating and overbearing appearance and will be detrimental to the area.’

And William Freeman added: ‘This construction is an eyesore and not in keeping with the local landscape.’

West Norfolk Council has refused the planning application and is now in talks with the club over the removal of the structure.

Its decision notice said: ‘The structure is considered to be visually incongruous and out of keeping with the rural, coastal locality which is characterised with generally low-rise structures.

‘The development appears very industrial in design and materials are poor with no particular relation to the surrounding area.

‘The structure is out of scale with the locality it finds itself in and the lack of handrail to the stairs and poor safety as well as the overall relationship with the site further compounds this unacceptable impact.’

West Norfolk Council have been approached for a comment.