Sale refuels second home debate

By Lynne French
BBC News, Cornwall

The St Ives semi is expected to fetch more than its £1m price tag

A two-bedroom semi-detached house which has been put up for sale in a Cornish town has fuelled the debate over holiday lets and second homes.

The £1m property is in the holiday resort of St Ives, which already has more than 20% second-home ownership.

Estate agent Lillicrap Chilcott said the reason for the high price tag was the property's "mesmerising" views over Porthmeor Beach and St Ives Bay.

But many local people fear the house will remain empty for most of the year.

Figures from Penwith District Council for 2007, show 1,277 properties - more than 20% - in St Ives were second homes.

Mark Noall, whose family have lived in the town for generations, said the chances of the house being bought by a local person were extremely low.

Second homes are only a minute part of the problem Alex Roads, John Bray and Partners

"Going by experience, I'd say it's highly unlikely," he told BBC News.

"But my issue is not who buys the damn house, it's whether or not they'll live in it."

Mr Noall, who is a self-employed multi-media designer, said a stroll down an area known locally as Downlong, was a graphic indication of how many of the properties were lying empty.

"There are rows of Yellow Pages that have been delivered that are just lying on the doorsteps," he said.

"Sadly most of them will stay there until Easter."

Planning changes

But while estate agent Alex Roads from John Bray and Partners agrees the disparity between wages and house prices in Cornwall has been causing difficulties for local people, he does not believe second home owners are to blame.

"There's a structural problem in the market and second homes are only a minute part of the problem," he said.

"The imbalance in Cornwall is greater without a shadow of doubt, but it's the same story all over.

"If you can't afford a house, you can't afford it."

Mr Roads said 80% of the county's GDP was tourism related and people living in holiday lets were bringing money into the local economy.

He said one of the answers would be a change in planning permissions, which would allow more residential use and restrict the number of properties which were holiday use only.

They see an idyllic scene of beach, harbour and house and think 'I'll buy into that' Rod Stephens, Porthleven Action Group

He also believes reducing the differential cost of land for farming and development would help address the issue of a lack of homes for local people.

But Rod Stephens, a spokesman for the Porthleven Action Group, said simply building a greater number of affordable homes was not the answer.

"There are no short-term fixes, but we're pushing for greater taxation on homes that lie empty," he said.

"That money should come back locally to re-buy those properties which would then come back onto the market.

"We don't want ticky-tacky houses built on green sites that would push local people out of their communities, which then become fragmented."

'Idyllic' lifestyle

Mr Stephens said he did not blame those who wanted to enjoy Cornwall's beauty.

"I just don't think they have any real understanding of what their actions are doing.

"They see an idyllic scene of beach, harbour and house and think 'I'll buy into that', but what they don't see is the fabric of communities being ripped apart."

The housing charity Shelter said the price of the St Ives house at Porthmeor was "unsurprising".

"Given the way prices have been rocketing over recent years, I can't say it's a shock," case worker Aidan King said.

"But what it is, with the county's low level of wages, is clearly very regrettable.

"What it throws up is the need for enough affording housing, particularly for rent which will allow local people to live where they work."