Our pretty seaside town where Beyond Paradise is filmed is being taken over by toffs… it’s so expensive I live in a VAN
A MAN says the seaside town where Beyond Paradise was filmed has become so expensive thanks to toffs taking over he’s living in a van.
Kieran Lewis, 23, says picturesque Looe in Cornwall – the setting for the hit BBC One drama – has become unaffordable for locals.
So he decided to spend £6,000 renovating a Volkswagen van – which he now lives in full-time.
Delivery driver Kieran has no regrets and is hoping to set up a van conversion business with his savings.
But he says the “crazy” housing situation means Looe – where Beyond Paradise is filmed – has become too expensive for many.
Kieran said: “People either do it out of necessity or for a bit of fun, but the housing situation here is just crazy.
“The prices are in the millions.
“So many people have second homes here, and to be honest a lot of the locals hate them because they are pricing them out.”
Kieran decided to renovate the Volkswagen LT35 with pal Dan Dayment, 23, in March 2021.
He was studying at college in Plymouth and wanted to avoid the £450-a-month accommodation costs.
The van cost £2,900, with a further £3,000 spent on improvements.
Kieran had hoped to then buy a bricks-and-mortar home after graduation.
But after looking at the spiralling cost of properties in Looe, and Cornwall as a whole, he decided to stick with the van.
The average house price in Looe over the last year was just over £340,000, according to Rightmove.
This is around £50,000 above the UK average.
However, despite the setback, Kieran says the van life has been a blessing in disguise.
He has even driven it around Europe with his girlfriend Lois Coram, 23, and hopes to use his £11,000 savings to launch a renovation business.
Kieran said: “I can go anywhere I want anytime.
So many people have second homes here, and to be honest a lot of the locals hate them because they are pricing them out
Kieran Lewis
“The biggest issues are finding somewhere to shower and finding drinking water.
“Sometimes I go back to my parents to shower as they live nearby.
“Showering outside using buckets of water in December is not fun – especially when it’s -2 degrees.”
Kieran currently works three days a week as a delivery driver, but once he has saved up, he is going to focus on his campervan renovation business – called Kip Campers – full-time.
He says he spends around £200 per month on fuel, £60 per month on insurance and around £25 on tax.
His van is also solar powered meaning his energy bills cost nothing and all his water he gets for free from public taps or kindly neighbours.
He added: “Instead of throwing away money every month, you actually get something back if you renovate a van.”
Earlier this month, a woman revealed she quit her job and bought a campervan to live and work in, while travelling around the world.
Kate and Steve Kennedy, 30 and 45, fell in love with campervanning after their first driving holiday – a one-week trip from London to Rome.
Last month, a couple who live in a converted van revealed how they got bored of paying rent and 9-to-5 living.
Tom & Amy have been living in a Luton van they converted together since 2019.
Elsewhere, a couple told how they splashed out £6,000 converting their van and now travel around Europe in it.
Traindriver Daniele Mei, 40, and his partner Chiara Ralli, 39, from Rome, have left behind their mundane lives for a new lifestyle on the road.