Should seaside towns be more welcoming towards second-home owners?
CYRIL WOOD may be right about his personal contribution to the finances of Salcombe (Letters), but he certainly does not speak for the rest of second-home owners. Most of them suck the life out of villages, visiting for just a few weeks of the year, spending little locally because they bring their own supplies and pricing locals out of the housing market. I’d suggest they pay double the council tax of full-time residents, but even this would not compensate for the harm they do to seaside towns.
FRANK ALLEN, Lyme Regis, Dorset.
I HAVE just returned from a holiday in Salcombe. Yes, it was busy, but only a few weeks ago the pubs, hotels, cafes and restaurants were moaning that if they couldn’t open they would go under. Now tourists have returned, they are moaning about us being there! The Government offered a VAT reduction to encourage staycations, but it appears
this is not being passed on to tourists, but retained to help pubs get through the winter. Roll on 2021 when we can all go abroad, where we are welcome.
Mrs YVONNE MOORE, Rochford, Essex.
MY WIFE and I were resident caretaker and housekeeper at the Salcombe Apartments for ten years and saw at first-hand the Yellow Welly Brigade visiting the town (Mail). I had to fish out bottles and drunks from the swimming pool and deal with late-night call-outs when the car park barrier was ripped off and yobs climbed up drainpipes to gain entry. On the other hand, we met many wealthy and famous people with impeccable manners.
LES DANIELS, Salcombe, Devon. sHoULD I touch my cap and say ‘Thankee, sir’ to patronising secondhome owners? Not everyone who lives in Devon is involved in tourism. No wonder there are overflowing bins and potholes when the population doubles in the summer. MALCOLM MCGARRIGLE, Seaton, Devon.
MY FAMILY has holidayed in Salcombe for decades and is lucky to own a home in this area, which we love and respect. During lockdown, we were unable to visit yet propped up the local economy by paying full council tax. A few locals are bitter towards secondhome owners, yet are happy to charge two-tier rates: low for locals and high for visitors. Residents, second-home owners and visitors must unite to boost the local economy and protect this wonderful area for everyone to enjoy.
Name and address supplied.
THE bleating from a salcombe second-homer is a familiar cry. But a third of properties on the Isle of Wight are second homes whose owners arrive in Chelsea tractors stuffed with goods, depriving local shops of income.
JOHN HEELAN, Bembridge, Isle of Wight.