More villages and town in England want to restrict second home ownership

A backlash against second home owners in England is gaining pace with people voting to make sure new homes are only able to be bought by local people.

In St Ives in Cornwall there is currently a ban on new build homes being sold as holiday homes or holiday lets and other areas look set to follow suit.

People living in Bamburgh, Beadnell and Seahouses in Northumberland have backed a similar plan whereby new homes could only be sold to people intending to live in them permanently.

According to Beadnell Parish Council there are now streets in the area where all the properties are holiday homes. There are also concerns that second home owners no longer use them the way they used but let them out most of the time.

It is hoped that the vote in favour of the new North-Northumberland Coast Neighbourhood Plan can be used to help decide planning applications, including who the homes are built for.

St Minver, the Rame peninsula and Mevagissey have also been discussing some kind of a vote on a limit of second homes. Other moves being considered include a higher level of council tax for second homes.
So far the votes have been to restrict the sale of new homes and they do not prevent anyone from buying an older home, for example, knocking it down an building a new home, subject to planning permission.

But there are also petitions asking local authorities to require second home buyers to apply for planning permission to ‘convert’ a local home to be used as a second home. And in recent weeks a number of protest marches have taken place to highlight the high number of homes on Cornwall that are not owned locally.

It is estimated that 50% of homes on Mousehole, for example, are used for leisure purposes and a similar number in Padstow.