Property development in Newquay

Posted on September 24, 2007
Filed Under Home & Property |

The local paper this week has done a big spread on all the luxury, multi-million pound development that is going on in Newquay. Now that the season is over, construction work is starting in earnest. Two companies in particular, Acorn and Penpol have spent millions buying up sites in the town for development. Most of them are in the Pentire area near Fistral Beach, but there are a few here on the less fashionable side of town!

The local paper contains some artist’s impressions of the proposed new hotels and apartment-hotels and they are not really to my taste. They are sort of shiny and sleek but architecturally bland.

Some people see all the development as an opportunity and a chance for Newquay to go up-market and ape some of the millionaire villages elsewhere in the South West. But others resent the changes, feeling that second homes are driving up house prices locally but affordable housing is not being built. This sentiment is illustrated by a clever bit of graffiti on some hoardings in Pentire reading: “Welcome to Penpol’tire – Homes for Londoners”.

Ironically, this summer the planning inspector concluded that Restormel District Council’s planning strategy is “unsound”. It doesn’t adequately present a convincing way forward for development of the local area. Housing developments have been very slow to come on stream and there is a lack of employment opportunities locally.

I think Newquay would really benefit from greater diversification of the businesses and industries on offer. In theory, there’s no reason why Newquay couldn’t aim to introduce, say, a small IT/web industry. Newquay is a desirable place to live and could attract talent from elsewhere in the country prepared to contribtue to the local economy year-round rather than on sunny weekends.

But instead, the town aspires to build ever more luxury apartments. Property developers and other vested interests argue that Newquay needs to move with the times and holiday apartments are the future. But a simple house price crash would knock the second home market for six, and given the recent wobbles in the banking sector, the troubles of Northern Rock etc, it’s not that far-fetched. Furthermore, the surf trade, which is usually talked up as Newquay’s ticket to the big time, is very much weather dependent and we’ve had two poor years in a row.

So although the local propaganda is that Newquay is moving with the times, I reckon it’s more like plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

All of this doesn’t affect me too much, although I find it interesting to observe. I moved here knowing what was going on and the lifestyle I want is still here for the taking. It would however suit me even more if there were employment opportunities locally that matched my skills. Now that the nights are drawing in, I spend most of my daylight hours in Truro or commuting by bus. I miss Newquay and the sea!

Stumble it!

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