Whitby has become the newest tourist spot to vote to limit the sale of second homes, as residents sounded “a very strong message that enough is enough”.
Families in Yorkshire’s fishing port said they had been removed from the housing market because wealthy people were paying exorbitant prices for holiday holes.
The medieval city, famous for Dracula of Bram Stoker, experienced the second-highest increase in house prices from any coastal resort last year, rising by 17% – defeated only by Padstow in Cornwall. About 28% of the properties in Whitby are second homes.
In a poll of city residents on Monday, 93% voted to limit the sale of newly built and additional housing to permanent residents.
The ballot, which had 23% turnout, is not legally binding, but organizers hope it will influence planning decisions by Whitby City Council and Scarborough City Council.
The result is the latest sign of growing unrest in Britain’s tourist hotspots as local families struggle to equalize prices paid by those who want a second home by the sea.
In Cornwall, the copper vessels districts of St. Ives, Fowie and Mevagisi voted to limit sales of new buildings to permanent residents.
The Welsh government recently increased the maximum level of municipal tax on second homes from 100-300% due to fears that places such as Anglesey and Gwynedd, home to the stunning Llŷn Peninsula, are overcrowded with holiday properties.
Whitby Community Network, the organizer of the survey, said it hoped the results would send a clear message that “change is needed.”
A spokesman said: “The results of the survey clearly demonstrate the strength of feelings in the local community… We believe that our elected councilors will take into account and take action.”
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The average house price in Whitby is now more than £ 254,218, according to the real estate website Rightmove – 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. Nineteen of the 20 new homes in a recent construction were sold as vacation rentals, according to Conservative Councilor Phil Trump.
Joyce Stang, who was born in Whitby and returned to the city to retire after leaving work, said her future was in danger unless politicians paid attention.
“There is no place to rent. There is nowhere to buy. “For people trying to climb the housing ladder, it’s practically impossible,” she said.
“The biggest problem we have in Whitby is the lack of children. Our schools are almost empty. If we don’t do something, we won’t have the next generation to provide the workforce – we are already struggling to attract the workforce here. “
Stang, secretary of the Whitby Community Network, likened the anger of second homes to the outrage that has led many rural and coastal areas to vote for Brexit.
Of the 2,268 votes cast in the Whitby referendum, a whopping 2,111 voted in favor of the second house restrictions. The Covid pandemic has exacerbated the housing crisis in coastal communities as thousands of people have fled cities in a “space race”.
Generation Rent, the housing campaign group, found that 3,000 new holiday and second homes were registered in the South West of England during the pandemic, while nearly 1,700 appeared in Wales.
In Cornwall, where 80% of some properties in some villages are holiday properties or second homes, activists have resorted to direct action by painting graffiti on vacant properties. The group First Homes Not Second Homes has been holding monthly processions since September.
Sandra Turner, who has lived in Whitby since she was a child, said residents wanted to send “a very strong message that it is enough”.
She said: “Not that we are against tourism, we are not, but we do not want to give up our city. 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, and that’s what is happening. People need to move out of town so they can live and own a home. “
A spokesman for the Scarborough Municipal Council said: “The result of the poll is no more and no less than an expression of the views of the parish electorate who voted in the poll and is not binding on any organization.
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