Locals in a pair of tiny English villages live in fear of second homeowners as they worry about a potential invasion.
Residents of Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers are concerned they could become the “next Salcombe” as the number of second homeowners rises in their community.
Houses in the village on the Yealm estuary have risen in recent months with one property in Noss Mayo selling for £1.9million and another in Newton Ferrers for £1.8million.
According to figures from Rightmove, houses sold for an average of £1,036,086, up 31 percent on last year and 27 percent higher than in 2016.
Speaking to DevonLive, locals expressed their concern that their pretty villages could soon be swamped by second homeowners who might only appear in the community a few times a year.
Pam Carter, Jean Elliss, and Elary Chetwynd said they “don’t want” their community “to become the next Salcombe”.
They added their villages had “too many holiday homes”, but that the villages were friendly.
Craft business owner Penny Carter argued that residents had to get used to the situation because they weren’t going to win.
She explained: “I don’t own a home here so we’re precarious and always will be, but that’s just something you learn to live with.
“There’s not a lot of places to rent, you have to be very lucky and a long-term rent here is usually just a six-month tenancy.”
She added: “Houses that go up for sale are often marketed as second homes, but we’re not going to win that battle so there’s no point fighting it.
“I think that you just have to think past that, and enjoy being here for what it is and not get wound up by anything.”
Some residents said there were more locals left in Noss Mayo and Newton Ferrers than compared to other communities in the local area.”
Clive Allen, 66, said: “I lived in both Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo from 1965 until 1986. I moved away because I couldn’t afford a house in the village.
“I still visit regularly and have many lifelong friends there. Since I lived there the holiday home situation has become more prevalent, but there’s more locals left in the villages than in somewhere like Salcombe.”
