We live in a quaint British seaside town with strict rules – the council bans ‘everything’… it’s like stepping back in time

RESIDENTS, who live in a quaint seaside town, say their council has “banned” everything.

There are no ice cream vendors on the beach at Frinton-on-Sea in Essex because the community doesn’t allow it.

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The first fish and chip shop was allowed to open in 1992, when Frinton and Walton City Council finally embraced the change.

When the Lock and Barrell opened in 2000, it was the seaside town’s first pub.

The Covid pandemic prompted the council to allow a second Chippy. Pier One Fish and Chips was allowed to open a diner to complement their restaurant.

Pier One owner Maxine Collins, 52, said the council is known to be tough on what shops are allowed to open in the city.

She said, it EssexLive: “The council freaked out about Sainsbury’s because it has an orange sign. Sainsbury’s couldn’t come here until they changed their sign.”

Planning documents from 2014 show the level of Frinton City Council’s control over the building.

One condition states: “Development shall not commence until samples of the roof tiles and bricks (…) have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.”

Maxine said people who return to the city after visiting as children 30 or 40 years ago find it the same. “Of course there are different shops, but the main street hasn’t changed dramatically.

“The green is the same, the beach is exactly the same, the beach huts are the same,” she said.

She said City Council policies have also made the city popular with a younger generation of visitors arriving from London for the day.

She said: “Certainly it’s impossible not to notice when walking around the city – on a warm and sunny day there are always several groups of people in their late teens and early twenties chatting on the green and relax or browse the shops.” on the main street.

Jon Howell, 53, who runs the MIND charity shop on High Street, said the city’s refusal to move with the times is part of its appeal.

He said: “The city is still quite dated and I think a lot of effort has been made to keep it that way.”

“The City Council is very keen not to change it and that’s part of the appeal,” says John, “that’s why most people come here. I think the residents are also very interested in keeping it that way.”
“They make a point of keeping everything the way it was when they were growing up.”

In response to the allegations in that article, Councilor Paul Clifton said: “The planning authorities, Tendring District Council and Essex County Council, are asking the City Council to ‘comment’ on the planning applications submitted to them.”

“Frinton & Walton City Council is a ‘statutory adviser’ to planning applications submitted to the local planning authorities and is not the authority making the decision.”

The City Council is trying to ensure that we preserve and preserve the city’s characteristics.”