The tensions between locals and second home owners in one of the UK’s most popular holiday regions have been laid bare in a poll which found deep-rooted ‘us and them’ issues.
Some 45 per cent of respondents to the survey in the pretty hamlet of Burnham Overy Staithe said they were unhappy with the current mix of housing, complaining wealthy outsiders price locals out of the market.
They also expressed concerns about problems in the busy summer months when there is congestion on the narrow streets, speeding drivers and inconsiderate parking.
Meanwhile, during winter months, there are concerns that the lack of permanent residents creates a ‘death village’ as fewer than 30 per cent of the 216 properties are constantly in use.
The pretty settlement – where Admiral Lord Nelson learned to row and sail a dinghy – is in north Norfolk, where a string of communities on a 30-mile stretch of coastline have conducted similar surveys and subsequently held referendums on local plans in which…