UK seaside village becomes ‘ghost town’ because of rich second home owners
British seaside towns have been hitting the headlines in recent weeks as summer approaches. We all like a sunny say out at the beach or wandering along the promenade after all.
Some towns with beautiful beaches and lots of things to do are often praised. But others have warned of rogue seagulls attacking tourists and "ASBO hellholes" – even those in pretty Cornwall.
READ MORE: Woman attacked by 'hooligan' seagulls in Cornwall ends up in A&E after vicious bite
Now, residents of one Cornish beach hotspot have spoken out about what’s affecting their little slice of heaven. Locals from Cawsand and Kingsand say that rich holidaymakers are kicking them out of house and home.
The posh seaside village is apparently a "ghost town" thanks to second home owners in the area. It’s been well documented that Cornwall’s locals are often priced out of nicer areas.
Barista Kathleen Rixon, 28, told CornwallLive: "It does go from this hustly and bustly Cornish town to a very quiet sombre place which is sometimes great. Some people love it. I, however, hate it, and I think it’s out of touch.
"We can’t afford to buy houses here because it’s so expensive because of the second home industry. I would really like to see more people move here and live here and stay during the winter, and become more of a community for the whole year, not just the summer season."
Her partner Tom added: "It would be really great if there was some kind of initiative for people that don’t use their houses all year round to rent them out to local people, even if it’s just over winter.
"Lots of people have alternative ways of living in the summer, like the chalets on the cliff, or they may go away. In the winter a lot of people like to come back here but they can’t, and there’s lots of houses that sit empty which is kind of tragic."
John Shepherd, who documents the history of the area, noted: "There’s been a big move away from residency to holiday homes so the biggest issue with that is property prices have rocketed, particularly anything with a sea view. As a result of that the local kids and families really struggle to buy anything here as many are on minimum wage, and property prices being what they are here, it’s not doable.
"Even so-called affordable accommodation around here isn’t really affordable. When I was a kid there were lots of kids that grew up in the village. If you look at Cawsand now there are very few youngsters, it’s people who are either retired or have holiday homes."
However, Ryan Falcus, 31, who works in Cawsand as a manager of The Bay bar and restaurant disagrees that the wealthy incomers are an issue. He said: "You get the people who own the second homes who come and stay themselves in winter, so you’ll see them and they support the village so well. There’s nothing here that can really be improved to be honest, it is what it is."
It’s a complaint that plagues plenty of coastal towns and even popular Cornish town, St Ives, rated as the best in the UK apparently has a "dark side". Rebecca Quick, who has lived in St Ives for 50 years, says that rude tourists and empty second homes are proving to be issues for the local community.
When asked how St Ives changed she said: "I might be so bold as to suggest it is the second home owners who have done this. To them, St Ives is this little, idyllic place that they visit every few months. They don't see the poverty.
"They don't notice the houses that remain empty all winter. They don't experience the abject rudeness that the locals suffer from these entitled visitors. They don't feel the hit of a maximum council tax rise of 5% while there are huge cuts in services."
- Livid tourist slams Stonehenge as 'biggest joke in Europe' in scathing review
UK's worst seaside towns slammed by Brits for 'dirty streets and brown sea'
Beautiful seaside town proves a hit – and it's also one of the UK's poshest places
Top 10 beaches in the UK to visit this summer ranked – from Cornwall to Yorkshire
Source: Read Full Article
