Our seaside town is being ruined by second-home owners – they’re driving house prices up and forcing locals out
LOCALS in a picture perfect sea-side town claim second-home owners are pushing up house prices and forcing people born and bred in the area to move out.
Brancaster in Norfolk is famous for its glorious beaches, fresh seafood and hard working fishing community.
But now plans to demolish a property on Tree Lane and build seven new houses has sparked a row in the town. Locals predict the new builds will be used as holiday homes, reports the Eastern Daily Press.
The concern is that there is a lack of reasonably prices housing in the area for local workers. This is forcing many locals to move away from the beauty spot.
The latest plans to build seven new homes has resulted in 24 objections.
Locals now want a policy put in place to restrict the number of second-homes in the area.
Property prices have now reached “eye watering” levels in the area and locals fear they will be completely priced out of the area soon.
The issue of second homes was raised at parliament in May, with MPs calling on the government to take action to prevent these
in-demand towns and villages from becoming ‘ghost towns.’
Planning officials have given the green light to the proposal, which is to be decided at an upcoming West Norfolk Council planning committee meeting next week.
The approval would be subject to a number of conditions, which include the allocation of one affordable home through a Section 106 agreement.
Section 106 agreements are put in place by local authorities to ensure property developers provide local communities with a benefit of some description.
Earlier this year plans to demolish a seven-bedroom house in Salcombe, Devon, and replace it with a larger five-floor home were refused.
South Hams District Council rejected the application, calling the proposal “too big” and arguing its “swathes of white render and glazing” did not reflect local materials.
But owners Roger and Paula Guess, who bought the house for £3million in 2020, called the decision “unfair” and believe they would succeed on appeal.
For well-heeled locals living near Devon Road – dubbed Millionaire’s Row by travel writers – it is just the latest in a long-running series of tensions with developers pushing for larger homes.
Locals in the pretty village of Nefyn in North Wales have also complained that they are being priced out by second-home owners.
Morgan Jones, who was born and bred in the town, told The Sun how, at the age of 30, he’s forced to live with his parents because he cannot find a property to rent.