LOCALS living in England’s cheapest seaside town say homes cost £400,000 less than London.
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, on the Northumberland coast, has properties on the market selling as cheap as chips.
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With many seeing it as a great destination for a mini-break, residents have said landlords snap up homes within days of them being listed.
With a stunning 500 metre promenade, dog walkers and families flock to the beachfront during the summer months.
The street is lined with butchers, fish and chip restaurants, sweet shops and seamstresses where tourists can buy trinkets and sample the local cuisine.
It comes after a whopping £1.2m grant was awarded back in 2011.
The average home costs just £117,000 compared to the national figure of £315K.
Investors from outside of the area are also fighting to get their hands on properties – but it’s left locals struggling to get a look in.
Daisy Stays, 50, owns a sewing store on the high street and claims landlords have started to buy up the cheapest houses to rent out.
She said: “There’s quite a few people buying properties to rent out.
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“There’s no room to make big apartment blocks so it’s good for renters and tourism but it makes it hard for locals. There has to be a balance.
“The younguns stand no chance.
“The council have been trying to get more homes built for a while.
“It’s cheaper but it’s hard to get a property due to the demand.”
Her partner and shop owner Martin Bardgett, 50, added: “People buying holiday homes can be a problem as locals can’t buy properties.
“Home are barely on the market for more than a few days
“If our landlord sells we maybe priced out.”
However, the couple still claim to love the town and have dubbed it the “best kept secret”.
Martin added: “We moved here from North Shields, North Tyneside where we had no outdoor space to a house with a garden and the promenade on our doorstep.
“We have no regrets about moving here.
“Because it’s old fashioned our business does better. There’s a market for it.”
CHEAP AS CHIPS
One anonymous local also claimed young residents are being priced out due to holiday lets.
She said: “Local people don’t have a chance. One home was sold within a week.
“The homeowner came from way down south and hadn’t even viewed it, she just bought it online.
“It’s right on the sea front so you wouldn’t get a better view.
“But, I don’t mind the holiday lets, there’s quite a few.
“It’s nice to see the tourists and it’s good for businesses.
Retired police officer Bob Pallas, 64, said the increase has meant his own home has gone up in value.
He told The Sun Online: “Houses will only be on the market for three or four days and people from other places in the country will buy them.
“Some locals complain about them being turned into Airbnb’s but I’m happy.
“That’s what’s happening to all the homes even the rubbish ex council estates have holiday homes.
“People buy them for £90k, shove a hot tub in the garden and rent it out.
“It keeps businesses running, the restaurants are going full tilt, they’ll never be bankrupt because of tourists.
“It’s making our homes go up in value. I bought my house six years ago for £98,000 and it’s worth £228,000 now. I’m happy.”
He added: “Everyone here is friendly, you have a lovely sea front, there’s so many food outlets and it’s cheap.
“You can get a taxi to Newcastle for £20 and it has great links to the North East.”
‘LOVELY PLACE TO LIVE’
One 76-year-old local, who didn’t want to be named, claims Newbiggin is the nicest place she has lived and says there is always something to do.
She said: “It’s really, really nice.
“I thought I was going to live a boring old lady’s life but I’m not – there’s a choir, painting class, yoga.
“There’s everything you could think of.
“London was very expensive but Newbiggin is cheap, especially for meals out.
“The homes here are much cheaper than in London.
“It’s a lovely place to live. The people are so friendly.
“My neighbours are smashing, some of my friends in America and London are jealous that I live here.”
But despite the many pros of living in the town, locals say they are hounded by unruly kids who roam the streets.
Residents of the seaside town claim groups of youngsters speed along pavements on mopeds and the streets.
They also said the streets are littered with dog poo and rubbish – which neighbours refuse to clean up.
Daisy added: “It is a lovely place to live but you don’t see the down side until you live here.
“The police are sadly lacking in the area.
“We get some juvenile delinquency and kids speeding down the street on their motorbikes.
“The delinquency can be a bother.”
Newbiggin was recently ranked one of the cheapest places to buy after the bank Halifax carried out research.
Meanwhile Salcombe in Devon was previously named the country’s most expensive coastal place to buy.
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