AN IDYLIIC Cornish seaside town has become overrun with Londoners snapping up locals’ homes – leaving residents furious.
Located in North Cornwall, Padstow welcomes tourists with is glorious golden beaches and picturesque countryside – but now it’s popularity is wreaking havoc with the local community.
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The residents in this tourism hotspot are facing a major housing crisis as demand for accommodation and second homes has driven house prices sky high.
One furious local told MyLondon: “The old fisherman’s cottages in Padstow have been renovated for holiday homes, where they used to cost about £25,000, they’re now £500,000.
“The cost of land is very expensive. Therefore builders want to build as big a unit as possible to maximise their earning potential.
“Local people don’t need five or six bedroom homes, designed so lots of families can come on holiday together, what they need are small two or three bedroom home starter units.”
The disheartened community are so up-in-arms about the worsening situation they posted scathing letters to second-home owners.
One claimed to be from the “people of Padstow” and claimed greedy tourists are “overburdening the system”.
It read: “Please do the morally responsible thing and return home – you are not welcome here at this time.”
The average Padstow property price is nearly £700,000 – and for a detached home it is nearly £1million.
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Shockingly, these figures rank the Cornish town as more expensive than London – where the average sale is £550,745, according to RightMove.
The lack of affordable housing means residents live in fear as the next generation of locals are being forced to move out in search of cheaper property.
“What we need are council houses,” added another fed-up resident.
“You used to have housing run by the local councils, for local people.
“They need to give the money to the local councils who know where the money is needed.”
The problem is so severe, data collected in recent years suggest two thirds of the town were people’s holiday homes.
Padstow Parish Council even proposed a ban to prevent any new second homes.
Kathy Pemberton, a Padstow Parish Council clerk, said: “You want to protect your community, the green space and maintain it for everybody, visitors and residents alike.
“Particularly for Padstow, it was one they were very keen to introduce the principle residency requirement.
The old fisherman’s cottages in Padstow have been renovated for holiday homes, where they used to cost about £25,000, they’re now £500,000.”
Anonymous resident
“You have to look at housing needs across the mix. Not everybody can afford to buy, they rent.
“You’ve got older people, younger people and one size doesn’t fit all.”
And, Padstow is not the only area struggling with this issue.
Elsewhere in Cornwall, residents of Mousehole, an idyllic staycation spot have to leave town to buy everyday essentials.
Rising visitor numbers have wreaked havoc on the property market as houses are being snatched up by tourists for holiday homes.
And locals of Hastings, East Sussex claim that the demand for property in the “rough diamond” town has placed unsustainable upward pressure on rents.
General inflation and a cost of living crisis, combined with spiralling property prices are tipping lower earners towards poverty.
Families in a Yorkshire seaside ‘ghost town’ also say they are being forced out and torn apart by holiday home owners.
The residents of tourism hotspot Robin Hood’s Bay, are facing a major housing crisis as demand for accommodation and second homes has driven house prices sky high.
There are now whole streets without any permanent residents – and the only jobs on offer to young people who want to stay are lowly positions in the hospitality industry.
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