Nestled on the North Cornish coast, the seaside town of Padstow has scenery from the cover of a guidebook. The vast horizons and picturesque beaches have been tempting Londoners to board a train at Paddington since the railway was constructed.
Visitors to Padstow from the capital are often so enraptured with the place they make a point of going back. They buy timeshares, second homes or just up and move. The trouble is what Londoners want, need and can afford is often out of sync with the local community.
“The old fisherman’s cottages in Padstow have been renovated for holiday homes,” said a local who spoke to MyLondon on the condition of anonymity, “where they used to cost about £25,000, they’re now £500,000.
READ MORE: The Cornish town where furious residents told London second home owners: ‘You are not welcome here’
“The cost of land is very expensive. Therefore builders want to build as big a unit as possible to maximise their earning potential. Local people don’t need five [or] six bedroom homes, [designed] so lots of families can come on holiday together, what they need are small two/three bedroom home starter units.”
When MyLondon tried to find out how locals felt about this trend. We encountered understandable trepidation in talking to the press about Londoner’s impact on the town. It is not a big place and, whatever a local’s reservations about the impact of these outsiders on the town might be, the chances are they’ll be a connection to someone with a stake in the riches they bring.
On more than one call the tables were turned on MyLondon. They asked whether the question of what made the Cornish town so appealing to Londoners lay on our doorstep not theirs. “You should be talking to people in London about what they put back into Cornwall, rather than talking to Cornish people asking what they’re putting back?” the anonymous local added.
This sentiment was evident in a letter posted to one of the second homeowners in the town during lockdown. Claiming to be from “The people of Padstow” it accused the outsiders of “overburdening the system” and using Cornwall’s limited resources. It also highlighted Covid rules about people remaining in their primary residence, adding “please do the morally responsible thing and return home – you are not welcome here at this time.”
The scarcity of affordable housing, an issue that leads many people to leave the capital, is as much of an issue on the Cornish coast as it is in inner London. But the exodus of Londoners to rural locations has pushed up the cost of property.
According to Rightmove the average asking price for property in Padstow is £696,883 over the last year. The average cost of a detached property was just under a million pounds. Although the properties being sold in the area are homes rather than flats the average cost is still higher than London where the average sale is £550,475.
“What we need are council houses,” the anonymous resident said, “you used to have housing run by the local councils, for local people. They need to give the money to the local councils who know where the money is needed.”
Council ban on second homes
The extent to which the prevalence of Londoners or wealthy people from other parts of the country was distorting the local property market led in 2021 the council to propose a ban on any new second homes . It came off the back of data suggesting that more than two-thirds of the town were people’s secondary residences.
“You want to protect your community, the green space and maintain it for everybody, visitors and residents alike,” Padstow Parish Council clerk Kathy Pemberton told MyLondon, “particularly for Padstow, it was one they were very keen to introduce the principle residency requirement. [But it] is no different to any other council. I think St. Ives [in Cornwall] was one that went quite quickly on it.
“[You have to] look at housing needs across the mix. Not everybody can afford to buy, they rent. You’ve got older people, younger people and one size doesn’t fit all.”
Pemberton understands why Padstow might appeal to Londoners, although she is quick to point out there are benefits to living in the capital too.
“I’ve lived in Cornwall my life and I can say I think North Cornwall coast is beautiful as someone who lives here and goes away to other places and comes back again, I appreciate why people would love to come here. I mean, it is lovely, even in bad weather. But equally, we like to go to London to the shows and all of that.”
Covid-gamechanger
The coronavirus pandemic and nationwide lockdown forced everyone in the UK to spend a lot more time at home than they ever had before. Flexible remote working arrangments, which were previously only accessible to a minority of individuals suddenly became the default setting for most businesses in the UK.
But spending all their time in a one-bedroom flat in London made some in the city questioned whether life in an urban setting was for them. The closure of offices and switches to remote flexible working following the pandemic has meant, for those with means, living in a place like Padstow rather than London without upending their life is possible. Likewise, people with second homes could make their rural retreat the primary place to stay.
“You can actually do more home working,” Pembton pointed out, “I’ve got friends that actually now live in Spain and are working for companies in UK. The door has been opened massively on that, you can go live in Italy and still work for UK-based company.”
The Padstow clerk is reluctant to make generalisations about what might attract people to the town. But believes the scenery and a connection to the area can play a part.
“[The reasons for moving to the area] are a very personal thing. I think people move here because they love the outdoors and a lot of people do have family connections,” she added.
Do you live in a town where Londoners buying homes has had huge implications? contact zak.garnerpurkis@reachplc.com
Want more from MyLondon? Enjoying our London 365 project? Sign up to our tailored newsletters here.
READ MORE:
—————————————————-
Source link