A loo with a view: public toilets in Margate set to be rebuilt as ultimate seaside home with the beach as its garden

The chance of a lifetime to have the sand literally on your doorstep in this trendy Kent resort dubbed "Shoreditch-on-Sea".
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Becky Davies8 February 2018

A loo with a view has gone on the market for a £400,000 in one of the most sought-after seaside resorts in the South East.

The lavatory block is right on the sea front in Margate and has been granted planning permission for a contemporary, detached, two-storey, three-bedroom home following demolition of the existing building — with the beach itself as the back garden.

“Beach huts are incredibly popular and can go for hundreds of thousands in some areas, but this offers all of their advantages and none of the problems of actually living in a hut," says Edward Church, of estate agents Strutt & Parker who are marketing the property.

The plot also comes with its own "beach cave", which acts as a "garden room, games room, a place to keep your paddle board or kayak, or even act as a windbreak, before heading straight to the sand.”

The block went up for auction in 2015 with a guide price of £30,000, but its situation is so perfect that bidding ended at £215,000.

It was bought by a developer who won planning permission for a 1,700sq ft family home, comprising three bedrooms, two bathrooms and three reception rooms.

The developer has decided to put it on the market again after winning planning permission because he had turned his attention to other projects.

The beach is your garden: the house is right on the sea front (Strutt & Parker)
Strutt & Parker

The opportunity to build your own home is likely to appeal to one of the many creatives who are flocking to Margate from east London, earning the resort the dubious nickname "Shoreditch-on-Sea".

Once home to artist Tracey Emin and something of a byword for the decline of Britain's traditional seaside resorts, the town has had millions of pounds injected into its regeneration, with the Turner Contemporary art gallery opening in 2011 and Dreamland amusement park's recent revamp by designer Wayne Hemingway.

More and more Londoners are now discovering its unspoilt Georgian and Victorian streets and attractions, just 90 minutes from London.

In 2016, it beat super-luxe Sandbanks and wonderful Whitby to be named best British seaside town.

There is even a burgeoning Creative Quarter centred around the old town area, with artists taking advantage of the proximity to London but far cheaper rents to make their home and studios there.

Many London workers who choose to buy in Margate now make use of the high-speed trains to St Pancras that take as little as one hour and 26 minutes, with an annual season ticket costing £6,544. Older, and slower, services to Victoria and Charing Cross cost from £5,468.

Seawall House is for sale through Strutt & Parker for a guide price of £400,000.