UK seaside village locals blast council after lovely seaside view blocked by 600m fence | UK | News | EUROtoday

Residents of a UK seaside village have blasted an area council after a 600-metre fence appeared, blocking their view of a shocking seaside vista.

Sandhead Beach in Sandhead, Dumfries and Galloway, is now partially blocked by a fence put in by the native council.

Community leaders put in the fencing to guard native ecology and stop coastal erosion that has plagued the world since 2021.

But locals have taken umbrage with the choice, claiming the barrier has “ruined” their coastal views.

Visitors have stated the group has become a “hostile place”, and residents have stated there “must be a better way” to guard wildlife.

Speaking to STV, returning customer Wendy McQuillan stated it felt as if Sandhead was solely welcoming to those that “stay behind the fence”, and added: “What a hostile place it has turned into.”

One unnamed resident added that “no one” would want to sit behind the fence and gaze out to sea “for any long periods of time in the summer”.

Another said the fence was an “eyesore, whatever the excuse”, but not everyone is opposed to the new infrastructure.

Countering naysayers on the Stoneykirk & Ardwell Facebook community group, another resident said that, without the fence, there would be no beach left to fight about.

They said: “If current weather and tides continue, the part of the land you are arguing about won’t be there much longer to fight about. Simple.”

Stoneykirk Community Council put in the fence following a two-year public session with Solway Firth Partnership, Dumfries and Galloway Council, and NatureScot, which resulted in plans to rewild the world.

A spokesperson for the council defended the fencing as important for guaranteeing the village’s native ecology might survive and thrive.

They stated: “As part of their local consultation and engagement, the Community Council asked NatureScot for its view on the area which is now fenced, as parking over many years and a recent storm had reduced the vegetation and caused the once common adders, lizards and whinchats to disappear.

“We agreed it would be beneficial to protect and enhance the affected area, providing that the longstanding free public access was not greatly affected.

“The restoration of the habitat and in particular the increase in vegetation at the site will help combat the effects of climate change and storm impacts on this coast.”