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WW2 Forts Built To Protect UK Coast Will Be Recast As Luxury Resort
The Maunsell Forts built to defend the British Isles from Nazi invasion are in line for an upmarket make-over.
Billed as the next top-notch luxury resort, the forts will come complete with executive apartments, a helipad and even a spa at sea.
The Second World War era forts off the coast of Kent were constructed in 1943, and operated by both Army and Navy personnel.
The huge metal Maunsell gun towers, also known as Red Sands, were constructed in 1943 during the Second World War
The 120-ft monoliths were erected to shoot down Nazi aircraft and doodlebugs as well as attack and engage German naval minelayers.
The bases have a chequered history, with Nore Army Fort in particular suffering bad damage when the Norwegian ship Baalbek collided with it in 1953, destroying two of the towers, killing four civilians and destroying guns, radar equipment and supplies.
Retired businessman David Marriot Cooper, 72, who is leading the development project after being approached by the charity Project Redsand, which manages the site, explained:
"I was asked by them to try to help do something to make use of the forts, instead of letting them slowly deteriorate and no doubt eventually fall under the sea."
"I came up with the idea of a hotel, leisure and museum complex and the idea was well-received. “I approached architects and hotel planners and now the wheels are in motion."
He added: "When I went by Tug Boat to visit the forts for the first time it was fantastic,
"The weather was superb and the forts, when you actually see them up close, are spellbinding and awesome."
The forts, dotted along the UK coastline, played their part in the Blitz.
Together they jointly shot down 22 enemy aircraft, 30 V1 flying bombs, and one massive U-boat - undoubtedly saving hundreds of lives.
Different views of how the fort hotel might look (images courtesy of Next Big Thing Creative)
Plundering Pirates
The need to accommodate artillery and hundreds of troops at any one point meant the forts boasted a formidable size.
This also however, made them prime targets for pirate radio enthusiasts who took over the forts, placing large antennas on the central towers during the 1960s.
Broadcasting was hampered by a team of Royal Engineers, who laid 2,200 lbs of explosive charges on Sunk Head Naval Fort, detonating the charges and destroying the entire superstructure with most of the concrete legs above the waterline.
See the Red Sands forts from above with this aerial drone footage:
The forts are not currently owned by anyone after being decommissioned by the Ministry of Defence in 1956, but the sea bed beneath falls under the ownership of the Crown Estates and so hold the key to any future development.
It is understood that the Crown Estates will lease ownership to the charity Redsands Project for 99 years, who in turn will lease ownership to a hotel developer.
Related: The Blitz: 75 Years On
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