Banning second homes. How can you do this?

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Practical question.

Residents in St Ives, the idyllic Cornish resort, have declared war on wealthy outsiders by proposing a ban on second homes.

The seaside town has been described as Kensington-on-Sea because so many rich Londoners flock there each summer.

But now residents are planning to block the building of any new holiday lets or second homes claiming they force local people out of the housing market.

The proposed measure is contained in a draft version of the St Ives Neighbourhood Development Plan which could be voted into local planning regulations next year.

No problem with holiday homes - different use class - but 'second homes'? I can't see how, under current planning rules, you can prevent new 'second homes'. I'm guessing there might be ways to focus on homes for specific local need, social rented property and so forth. But the minute you allow property to be built for sale on the open market, you allow for 'second' (or third or twenty-fifth) homes.

It seems that the plan is to prevent the off-set of affordable housing provision. So the second home owners have to live on the same spot as the riff-raff. But all that this will do is break up large sites - below (I think) ten properties there is no affordable housing requirement and no community infrastructure levy. I susepct these well-meaning town councillors in St Ives will live to regret their populist planning ideas.


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