The pretty UK seaside town will be familiar to many as the fictional Devon town of Shipton Abbot in the BBC’s Death in Paradise spin-off, Beyond Paradise
Second-home owners are said to be selling their properties in a stunning UK seaside town that draws crowds of tourists – and fans of the TV detective drama Beyond Paradise.
While the comeback of full-time residents to homes that were previously vacant for months on end is being celebrated, there’s still concern. A local property agent has warned that first-time purchasers continue to be priced out with some residents being compelled to live in tents and sofa-surf.
They claim that dwellings in the picturesque town have become unaffordable due to wealthy Londoners relocating from the capital for the peace the coastal location provides.
Looe, in Cornwall, will be recognisable to many as the fictional Devon town of Shipton Abbot in the BBC’s Death in Paradise spin-off. Like numerous locations in this gorgeous corner of Britain, second homes and holiday rentals can be a contentious issue – with some residents being rather unwelcoming.
Most, nevertheless, acknowledge that tourism is essential, even if it does carry a price. Sara Barron, 54, helps operate The Haven, the base of the Boundless Trust, a community centre that runs holiday clubs for local youngsters and helps address local deprivation and homelessness in Looe and its neighbouring villages, reports the Express.
On a bright summer day, when Looe was crammed with visitors, Sara said: “Looe needs tourism and second homes are part of that. What doesn’t help is when people don’t let them out – then they sit empty for most of the year.”
Sara, who relocated to Looe from Portsmouth six years ago, explains that there “are also lots of restrictions” on residential lettings and that Airbnbs “have less restrictions”, making it simpler for landlords to rent them out as holiday accommodation.
“Landlords can get more renting them out for eight weeks in the summer than for renting them out all year [as a home],” she said. “And what homes there are, are unaffordable for many locals.”
The consequence of all this, according to Sara, is that so-called “hidden homelessness” – people sofa-surfing and living in tents and vans, rather than sleeping rough on the streets – is a genuine issue in Looe.
Sara said: “We don’t get many street sleepers, but there are lots of people sofa-surfing, sleeping in tents on campsites or in campervans. There’s a lot of hidden homelessness.
“We gave out a few tents to people last summer who were working here and living on campsites.”
Nevertheless, local businessman Sam Chapman holds a somewhat different perspective. The 30 year old, who has resided in the Looe area his entire life, runs Pengelly’s fishmonger shop and lives on his family’s farm on the town’s outskirts.
He said the surge in second homes and holiday lets has “driven prices up” and he can “understand why other people get angry about” the issue. Nevertheless, Sam said he hasn’t been personally impacted – and that all his employees have secured accommodation.
“All my friends have found houses – there’s the new estates and stuff,” he adds. Yet, Sam confesses that he doesn’t reside in Looe itself, so he doesn’t feel the impact as much as others might.
Clive Gardner, who lives in the heart of Looe’s old town above his business, Clive’s Cat’s Cartoons, a gallery and framers, with a waffle hut, shares his perspective. The 71 year old, who spends the winter months in Thailand, said: “Quite a few of the houses in the back street are second homes.
“There is nowhere to rent, so lots of businesses struggle to get staff, because they have nowhere to live.
“But it is still a really good community, it’s still a really good place to live. People know you – you walk down the street and people say hello.”
His partner, Mandy Rose said: “If people are coming down and using them [second homes], then great – but it’s not good if they’re left empty. The problem is, there’s no control over it – and there’s no going back.
“But there is still a really good sense of community here. And we do live in a really lovely part of the UK.”
Clive and Mandy reside in the maze of alleyways that makeup Looe’s old town – an area that frequently floods. Many of the residents who once lived here have long since moved away.
The Boundless Trust provides meals to several elderly individuals who once resided here but have since relocated to the outskirts. Sara Barron, a representative of the trust, shared: “The fishermen’s cottages all used to be lived in. They [elderly Looe residents] talk about how they grew up playing in the streets, getting fish from the local boats.
“That’s changed – but that was 50 or 60 years ago. I don’t think many of those houses have people living in them now.”
This part of town, which boasts buildings dating back to the 15th century, is adjacent to the quayside. Among the cafes and restaurants in this vibrant riverside location is the Uncharted gift shop.
Kelly Jones, co-owner of Uncharted, has been a Looe resident her entire life. The 41 year old said: “Personally, I wish there weren’t so many of them [second homes]. There just seems be more and more of them.
“Local people need to rent and there’s just nothing available. I rent privately, but I’ve been very lucky. I’ve always rented from someone I known. “I’ve lived in two or three different properties over the years, and have great references, so it hasn’t been a problem for me.
“But for the children growing up here, the 18 and 19 year olds they can’t afford or can’t find anything – which is really hard if they don’t want to leave Looe.”
Across the river from Uncharted, in West Looe, Kelly’s sister, Carla Jones, runs an estate agent business. She returned to her hometown eight years ago, after spending a decade in London.
She noted that the landscape is shifting, with many second homes and holiday lets being converted back into full-time residences. However, she also highlighted that local first-time buyers are still being priced out of the market, describing the rental situation as “impossible”.
Carla said: “During Covid, there was a huge number of people who had second homes who sold up because they knew they were never going to get those prices again. People were looking to relocate during Covid and were buying them to live in”.
“It’s nice – there are lights on now. People are living in these homes now. It’s building the community back up. There needs to be a balance if Looe is to survive.
“And people who didn’t jump on the bandwagon during Covid, who took their time, are now looking at relocating. They’ve seen that Cornwall could work for them – even though it is a huge lifestyle change.
“These can be people with high-paid corporate jobs. They’re bringing their careers down with them on their laptops and working from home in Cornwall – that’s bringing more money to the area.
“But it’s still very difficult for locals – getting on the property ladder can be very tricky. First-time buyers face so many restrictions, from lenders. There’s nothing in my window they could afford.
“People earning £20,000 a year [An average wage in Cornwall] have got no hope. Local people can’t afford to get on the ladder – but it’s not just [mortgage] affordability.
“People can’t afford 10 per cent deposits – people haven’t got £30,000 or £40,000 sitting in their back pockets. It’s only really people whose family can help and get gifted deposits.
“People relocating are buying the homes that would have been taken by first-time buyers. When first-time buyers can’t buy, you haven’t really got a sustainable market.”
Houses in Looe carried an overall average price tag of £304,342 over the past year, dropping from the 2021 peak of £379k.
Terraced homes can be snapped up for around £80,000 less at an average of £222,399, whilst detached houses went for an average of £422,143.
Carla added that locals priced out of purchasing can find letting equally challenging. “The rental market is impossible,” she said.
“I have 22 residential rentals on my books – but none of them are vacant. And I’ve got 30 clients looking for homes to rent – but I’ve got nothing I can offer them.
“Landlords are not being supported by the government. A lot of landlords jumped on the covid bandwagon and sold up. A very big percentage of rental properties got taken out from under people, who had section 21 notices served on them.
“The new Labour Government are saying they’re going to build more houses, but where? There’s nowhere in Looe to build. And Cornwall County council don’t help – they’re difficult they’re very tight on planning.”
Carla reckons that even if fresh properties were constructed, this would simply create a different set of issues. “Looe just hasn’t got the infrastructure,” she explained.
“The doctor and dentist surgeries are already over-run.
“It sounds so bleak when you talk about it, but it’s the reality for so many people.”