People from across the UK, and world, trek to the West Country to enjoy our stunning beaches and beautiful scenery. Some of those tourists are so impressed with the area that they decide to invest in a second home.
And this, unfortunately, has been having a detrimental impact of locals who live there full-time. People from Cawsand and Kingsand say that rich holidaymakers are kicking them out of house and homes, reports CornwallLive. That's because the beauty spot feels more like a 'ghost town' for most of the year, as so many of the properties are now deserted throughout the colder months.
Barista Kathleen Rixon, 28, said: "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.
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"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.
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."
But, 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."
And other parts of Cornwall have fallen victim to their popularity as well. 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 an issue for the local community.
When asked how St Ives changed she said: "I might be so bold as to suggest it is the second homeowners 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."
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