A London-based developer has been given the green light to overhaul a nineteenth century beachfront cable hut into a home.

Lefa Property previously unveiled proposals to revamp a former telegraph cable cabin into a one-bedroom home at Dumpton Gap, Broadstairs back in 2022.

However, the proposal was rejected by officers at Thanet District Council (TDC) due to issues such as its design and potential noise.

After submitting an appeal, the Planning Inspectorate then also threw it out in June this year, citing “significant adverse effects” on the environment.

The company since decided to resubmit the proposal and made several changes in order to get the application over the line.

These included new "interpretive information boards to the public facing elevation with graphics highlighting the history of the telegram industry”.

They will also display the building’s history and illustrate how it has been adapted with historical photos and diagrams.

The Sidcup developer has also made several biodiversity improvements such as surveys referencing the number of bat and small bird boxes.

Following the amendments, the application has now been given the green light by planning officers at TDC.

The 362 sq ft hut is set back more than 50 metres from the clifftop at Dumpton Gap – near the public toilets – and is described by Lefa Property as a “relatively rare survival”.

Lefa says it was one of the first buildings at Dumpton Gap, which was built at some point between 1851 and 1890.

The hut – which has recently been used for storage – was an early part of the cable network and housed the termination of telegraph cables which linked the south coast with Belgium.

It sits on the headland at Dumpton Gap, neighbouring the pedestrian footpath down to the beach.

Now approved, Lefa intends to transform the site into a one-bedroom house featuring a kitchen/living room and shower at ground floor level and a bedroom in a newly created mezzanine above.

“Internally there are no historical features,” the company added.

“This makes it unviable as a museum or historical destination [with] the building suitable for private use.

“The building does however have historical importance and the external appearance of the building and its legacy can be amplified.

“It needs to be extended to make any use viable and so a financial model is found which secures the long-term future of the building.”