WITH its famous sand dunes, quaint shops and a history dating back to medieval times, Braunton is a magnet for holidaymakers.
But the north Devon village’s popularity has become its downfall, with the price of rentals soaring due to second homes and holiday lets, forcing locals out, ruining the community and splitting families.
Last month Braunton Parish Council declared a ‘housing crisis’ and held a referendum to pass a 300-page ‘Neighbourhood Plan’ to stop future new builds becoming second houses, ensuring they are only sold to locals.
But many residents fear that with around 1,000 holiday lets and second homes in the area, the damage has already been done.
Braunton born-and-bred, Nhala Shapland, 20, has a 10-month old son, Obi, and is expecting another baby with her partner.
She works in a local restaurant, and claims Braunton has “completely changed”.
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“It used to be one big community where everybody knew everybody, but now there are a large number of second homes which aren’t being used in the winter,” she said.
“You can see how dead it is around that time, but in the summer it’s really busy.
“A lot of people who use the holiday lets like to base themselves here and enjoy the destinations, but they don’t seem to care so much for the locals.
“We love being able to have the business and to keep shops open, but a tiny bit of respect would be nice.
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12“They present themselves as better than the locals and think they can do what they want just because they’re on holiday.
“The streets are packed, and they won’t move out of the way to let you pass and working in restaurants I’ve found they do belittle you because they’re paying.”
She added that the only reason she and her family can rent in Braunton is because they know the owner of their house.
Nhala said: “We’ve rented for about two years, and it was a miracle we found our place.
A lot of people who use the holiday lets like to base themselves here and enjoy the destinations, but they don’t seem to care so much for the locals
“Otherwise we wouldn’t have found somewhere because it’s all second homes.
“I do worry it’ll be sold to become a holiday home. Everyone I know who has rented here in the past has had to move out.
“At any point we could be told we have to leave.”
The recently passed Neighbourhood Plan took seven years to pull together, and will mean planning committee members on North Devon’s District Council will have to consider the wishes of locals when considering applications.
Locals want more affordable housing and tighter restrictions on who is able to buy new properties.
Of Braunton’s 10,000 population, 1,046 voted for the plan which will last until 2031, with 114 people against.
But some feel the council’s ‘crisis plan’ has come too late.
Tony Carter-Burns, 52, a resident of 23 years, lives next door to a five-bedroom Airbnb property which was previously split in two, occupied by two families.
He said: “With such a wet summer I think it’s only been occupied for three to six weeks in the past year. Most of the time it’s empty.
“There are two houses across the road from me which used to be occupied by local families which are also Airbnb and are empty for the winter.
I voted in favour of the neighbourhood plan, but it seems like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted
“This has a massive impact on our local community.
“I know many families who’ve lived here all their lives who now can’t afford to live in Braunton anymore.
“The reason we moved here from Slough with young children was for the community and to enjoy that style of life, and it’s changed drastically since then.
“I voted in favour of the neighbourhood plan, but it seems like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
“There are many elderly people in the population who are becoming increasingly isolated because their families can’t afford to live here, so they don’t have the support network they need.”
Annette Colebrook, 59, runs Tops N Tails pet shop which has been in the town for 24 years.
She said: “I see both sides of the second homes issue.
“We have local customers whose families have grown up here, but obviously the youngsters are trying to find jobs and places of their own near their families, but can’t.
“I also have a lot of second homeowners or holidaymakers who come down every few months and order their pet food from me.
“But the number of people owning these homes has increased so much it’s stopping local people from being able to live here because it’s caused the rentals to become so expensive.
“Sometimes there’s a problem with rubbish, because our bins only get collected fortnightly.
“So if they put them out when they leave, they can be there for a period of time. Other people might then put their rubbish in, so they can start overflowing or get blown over in high winds.”
Steve Kent, 66, is a retired NHS worker whose wife Vicky has run Kent’s Hair and Beauty in the town for 34 years.
He says his son lives in a two-bedroom rental in the town for £600 a month with his partner and three children, and is struggling to find somewhere bigger to accommodate his two children from a previous relationship when they also stay.
“We’ve noticed a lot of new customers coming in, which is fine for our business, but a lot are people who’ve sold their property in London and moved here to work from home,” he explained.
“There are lots of wealthy people who can sell their property in London and buy somewhere in a lovely part of the country, but it means locals can’t afford to live here.
“If you can work on a laptop instead of in London, that’s the way to do it, but it’s a shame the locals are being penalised.
“In the summer holidays the amount of tourists on the roads cause six weeks of queueing. We can’t get out of town and then have to use the backroads.
“When they’re gone everyone feels relief.”
Councillor Graham Bell said he would like tighter restrictions on holiday homes and second homes, including a licensing scheme.
He said: “Trying to get along these residential streets on a Saturday can feel like change-over day at Butlin's.
“It can be reasonably argued that a village like Braunton, that does not have a major hotel and with camping accommodation on the peripheries of the village, does benefit from a small number of holiday lets in this area.
“However as the number climbs, the opportunities for families to remain in the village decreases.”
He said: “The beauty of a licensing scheme is that it would allow Braunton to keep a manageable number of holiday lets while ensuring that people still have a place to live.
Trying to get along these residential streets on a Saturday can feel like change-over day at Butlin's
“Traditionally Braunton has been a multigenerational village which has the economic benefit that younger and older generations of a family have been able to provide essential support for each other.
“However, if younger generations are being pushed out of the village then it becomes harder for grandparents to support young children and later for those young children to eventually support their grandparents.
“The loss of 10 per cent of housing stock directly affects the ability for families to stay together.
“One of the beauties of the Neighbourhood Plan is that it supports families to stay together by insisting that new homes are the primary residence of the owners.
“This isn't concerned with the investment opportunities related to houses, it is about ensuring the strength and resilience – economically and socially – of the local community.
“Another great attribute of the Neighbourhood Plan is that because it was written on a micro-level, it is very specifically relevant to the nature of the village.
“Braunton is sandwiched between the sea, our spectacular burrows and marshes, and then steep hills, and shaped by three rivers which provide development concerns of their own.
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“By identifying what land is available on the parish level we can help ensure that as the available land is developed, it is done with consideration of our available land supply and the needs of our expanding community.”
The Sun has contacted North Devon Council for comment.
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