Whitby has become the last tourist spot to vote for a limit on the sale of second homes, as residents sounded a “very strong message that is enough.”
Yorkshire fishing port families said they had received a price outside the housing market as the rich paid exorbitant prices for holiday holes.
The medieval city, made famous by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, experienced the second highest house price increase of any coastal resort last year, with a 17% increase, surpassed only by Padstow in Cornwall. About 28% of properties in Whitby are second homes.
In a survey of city residents this Monday, 93% voted in favor of restricting the sale of newly built and additional housing to full-time residents.
The vote, which had a 23% turnout, is not legally binding, but organizers hope it will influence the planning decisions of Whitby City Council and Scarborough City Council.
The result is the latest sign of growing unrest in Britain’s tourist spots, as local families struggle to match the prices paid by those who want a second home by the sea.
In Cornwall, the honeypot areas of St Ives, Fowey and Mevagissey have voted to limit new construction sales to full-time residents.
The Welsh government recently raised the maximum municipal tax rate on second homes from 100% to 300% due to concerns that places such as Anglesey and Gwynedd, home to the stunning Llŷn Peninsula, were dealing with holidays.
Whitby Community Network, the organizer of the poll, said it hoped the results would send a clear message that “change is needed.”
A spokesman said: “The results of the survey clearly show the strength of sentiment in the local community … We are confident that our elected councilors will take note and act.”
Do you want to allow content provided by a third party?
This article includes content hosted by theguardian. We ask for your permission before uploading anything, as the provider may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click “Allow and continue”.
The average home price in Whitby is now over £ 254,218, according to the Rightmove website, which puts it far beyond the reach of many in a city where the typical salary is just £ 18,900. .
A local real estate agent said about 75% of the properties in his books were sold as second homes or to investors. According to Conservative councilor Phil Trumper, nineteen of the 20 newly developed homes were sold as holiday rentals.
Joyce Stangoe, who was born in Whitby and returned to the city to retire after leaving for work, said her future was in jeopardy unless politicians realized.
“There’s nowhere to rent. There’s nowhere to buy. For people trying to climb the stairs of the apartment, it’s virtually impossible,” he said.
“The biggest problem we have in Whitby is the lack of children. Our schools are practically empty. If we don’t do something, we won’t have the next generation to provide the labor; we’re already struggling to get the labor. work here “.
Stangoe, the secretary of the Whitby Community Network, compared the anger over second homes to the resentment that led many rural and coastal areas to vote for Brexit.
Of the 2,268 votes cast in the Whitby referendum, an overwhelming 2,111 supported the limits on second homes. The Covid pandemic has exacerbated the housing crisis in coastal communities, with thousands fleeing cities in a “space race.”
Generation Rent, the housing campaign group, found that 3,000 new holiday homes and second homes in the south-west of England were registered during the pandemic, while almost 1,700 appeared in Wales.
In Cornwall, where 80% of properties in some villages are holiday rentals or second homes, activists have resorted to direct action by painting graffiti on empty properties. The group First Homes Not Second Homes has been running monthly since September.
Sandra Turner, who has lived in Whitby since she was a child, said residents wanted to send “a very strong message that is enough.”
He said: “It is not that we are against tourism, we are not, but we do not want to give up our people either. We need to be able to live here, we need to be able to work here, families want their families to stay here and not move away and that’s what’s happening. People have to move out of town to live and have a home. “
A Scarborough City Council spokesman said: “The result of the poll is nothing more and nothing less than an expression of the views of the parish electorate who voted in the poll and is not binding on any organization. “.