Locals in seaside town forced to live in car parks by second-home owners

03 March 2024 , 09:01

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Locals are being forced to live in car parks (Image: (Image: Getty))

Locals in a popular UK seaside town are being 'forced to live in car parks' as second-home owners buy up all the properties.

Newquay in Cornwall is a favourite spot for British families wanting a beach holiday but its popularity has led to more and more holiday homes being bought up each year, leaving locals struggling to get on the property ladder. Prince William recently announced a £3million plan to build 24 new homes for homeless people in Nansledan, a new estate on the outskirts of Newquay.

This comes as 27,000 people have signed up for council housing in the area, with some blaming second home owners for the increase in homelessness. Maddie Tyers, 54, who lives in a van with her two huskies, told The Sun that rising rent costs and more holiday lets have left many locals unable to afford homes. She said: "The rent is the first thing I think about. Because if I don't pay it I'm homeless again. Everything else comes after and if I can't afford food then I can't afford food.", reports The Express.

Homelessness is increasing in Cornwall, with charity St Petrocs helping 695 people who were sleeping rough last year - this is up more than a third compared to 2022. Jacey Peacock, 29, who was born in Cornwall, added that it's hard to find a house to rent with hundreds appearing on sites like Airbnb.

She explained: "I'm Cornish born and bred, I rent a one-bed flat in Newquay with my partner for £680 per month but there is no way we can afford to buy a house. If we had the money or not, the difficulty is finding one which isn't already an Airbnb. Things have gotten worse since the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people came down and realised how beautiful it is so wanted to live here. Second homes make it a lot harder for us. We see the community of Newquay every day doing what they can to get by. To see people you know struggling, it affects you."

London flat for rent for £1,400 a month with bed tucked away in kitchen cupboard

Newquay has long been a popular destination for Brits ((Image: Getty))

The Duchy of Cornwall's new plan hopes to help those who need it most, but some worry it's not enough. A spokesperson from Cornwall Council said: "We are sympathetic towards those who are finding it difficult to find somewhere settled to live as Cornwall continues to experience extreme and unprecedented pressures on housing due to an imbalance in housing supply and demand."

"Nationally, there has been a significant reduction in the availability of homes to rent and a matched sudden escalation in rental costs exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis. In the last three years, the number of households in need of emergency accommodation has increased by around 224 per cent to around 850 while the number of households on our social housing register has more than doubled to around 27,000."

"There is a high demand for accommodation which includes our own housing stock, properties that we rent, or other accommodation. The steps we have taken include the provision of emergency temporary accommodation so that fewer residents are housed in BandBs or hotels."

"But we're also working to provide housing through investment in our own stock of accommodation recent projects include new modular homes, buying and refurbishing disused properties and providing dedicated 'move on' accommodation to support former rough sleepers to help people find settled, permanent, homes. We are reviewing our offer to private landlords to help keep people in their homes in the private sector."

"We're building more 'council housing' to add to the stock of 10,300 council houses in Cornwall and have bought open market homes to convert into affordable housing for local people in need. We're also working with developers, local communities, and partners to identify suitable sites. ".

Cally Brooks