St. Ives votes to ban second homes

VILLAGES and towns in popular holiday areas across Britain are preparing to follow St. Ives in #Cornwall by banning the sale of new houses as second homes, The Times reports. Government ministers are to oppose the ban, however, amid fears that it will be regarded as unfair and discriminatory.

#StIves residents voted in a referendum by a majority of four to one to require all new housing to be sold as the buyer’s principal residence under a legally binding covenant. The new owners would be expected to provide evidence, such as an entry on the electoral register.

The measures were introduced as part of a neighbourhood plan, but government sources said yesterday that the Localism Act 2011, which introduced the plans, was never intended to help councils to block ownership of second homes.

The new rules, which are subject to a legal challenge by a firm of architects in Penzance, will come into effect once they have been adopted by Cornwall County Council. Government sources conceded that ministers might have to act if the judicial review failed. But in the Lake District, Derbyshire Dales, North Devon, and the Isle of Wight are looking at similar schemes.

St. Ives has attracted seasonal visitors including artists and writers for generations. More than a quarter of houses in the town are second homes, many owned by wealthy Londoners who spend just a couple of weeks a year there. The town – once a small fishing village – is regularly voted the most desirable place in Britain to live. Even parking spaces can change hands for £70,000. The new rules will not affect existing holiday homes, although some residents are worried that they will drive up prices by restricting supply.

People who grew up and work in the town have complained for many years of being priced out of the housing market. Linda Taylor, the town’s mayor, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted. We have been working for this for three years.’

More than 30 percent of houses in Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast are holiday homes, a higher proportion than in St Ives. Michael Kiff, the town’s mayor, said the council would wait for the issue to be resolved in Cornwall before deciding whether to introduce similar restrictions. “

Matt Thomson, head of planning at the Campaign to Protect Rural England said: ‘The residents of St Ives have identified the impact of second homes and holiday lets on their quality of life and come up with an innovative but proportionate way to meet their aspirations.’

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