Upmarket seaside town Southwold cracks down on holiday and second homes over fears it's becoming a 'ghost town'
- Just two in five properties in Suffolk town of Southwold have full-time residents
- All new-build dwellings must now be occupied as someone’s main home
- The move is the latest salvo in a battle between the locals and outsiders
It's the upmarket seaside town nicknamed Hampstead-on-Sea due to star visitors such as Dame Judi Dench and Sir Michael Palin.
But Southwold is cracking down on holiday and second homes amid fears it’s becoming a ‘ghost town’.
Just two in five properties in the Suffolk town have full-time residents, causing a knock-on effect on shops and facilities.
Now Conservative-led East Suffolk Council has agreed a neighbourhood plan with a ‘principal resident requirement’ in a bid to tackle the issue, meaning all new-build dwellings must be occupied as someone’s main home.
Southwold is cracking down on holiday and second homes amid fears it’s becoming a ‘ghost town’. The town is pictured above
The move is the latest salvo in a battle between locals, who say they’re being priced out, and outsiders, who argue that they bring cash in and shore up businesses such as the pier and pubs.
Tensions peaked during the pandemic when locals tipped off police about second homeowners flouting rules to spend lockdowns in the popular spot.
Second home owners are reluctant to identify themselves, but one said: ‘It’s really insulting to be treated this way. We’re blamed for house prices rising but that’s happening everywhere.’
The local seaside is seen above. The move is the latest salvo in a battle between locals, who say they’re being priced out, and outsiders, who argue that they bring cash in and shore up businesses such as the pier and pubs
But local Lib Dem councillor David Beavan said the crackdown might not go far enough as it only applies to new homes. ‘It is a ghost town in the winter and in 20 years it will be empty,’ he warned.
Only 43 per cent of the town’s 1,400 residences are primary homes, with 22 per cent holiday lets and 35 per cent second homes. An East Suffolk Council spokesman said: ‘The increase in properties being bought to rent as holiday lets or as second homes has transformed the character of the town and substantially reduced the stock of residential property that is affordable to local residents, whether to buy or rent.’
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