Retirees bombarding our beautiful rural seaside area

Interesting thread. So it is not just the 'foreigners' creating problems then.

I was very interested to see your post. We moved up to Northumberland from Middlesex twenty years ago, as my husband was promoted to a job he couldn't refuse.

It's a very popular village, with many second homes and self catering rentals. After a few years of using the 'baddy' workmen who targeted new people, I decided to design a 'Welcome to Warkworth booklet' as well as a welcome evening once a month for newcomers. The booklet contained information on our parish council, the library, local work people, what's on locally, etc.

I had opened and run the local youth club for a few years at this time, with the three tier education system here I felt sorry children would lose contact once they left middle school if they went to a different feeder school. Youth club was very popular but I had trouble getting any of the parents to help.

It was a very interesting experiment and not supported well by local people. I advertised it in the local church magazine and on the first session two 80 year old residents and one of my friends came along and met the four new people who attended. They shared their local knowledge very willingly.

On the second session only one of the 80 year old residents attended, and one young couple, both in the police force, who had just moved into the village.

On the third session, I sat in the hotel bar alone, and realised no-one wanted this service. The church asked if they could 'adopt' my booklet, which I obviously agreed, but I've not seen it on their website. It's sink or swim here!

Amazingly, when my husband died on our front lawn in 2016, the young police couple were passing my house - and stopped to help me. Fate lent a kindly hand to me that day


Amazingly,

This is happening in many areas of the UK. At some point these "local" people sold their properties initially, otherwise there wouldn't have been any available for others to buy. Nothing ever stays the same, and not everyone chooses to spend their entire lives in the same place they where born. I don't see a problem with people moving to other areas if that's been a retirement dream or otherwise.

Right I'm off out on a 2-hour walk around the sunny streets of London (it's a bit nippy though).

I promise to be nice to any rural folk who cross my path

Let's start a sweepstakes...... Filey

I am one of the very few in my village that was born and bred here, making me at least 3rd generation and maybe further if I could find out about my grandmother's side of the family.
The main reason I am one of the few, is that the rest of my generation moved away from the village when they bought their first home - the houses in the next county were a lot cheaper, as was the council tax and this is going back to the 1970s!
I belonged to several committees in the village until I found that working full time and then taking care of an ailing parent meant that my evenings were otherwise taken care of. I must say though that the "incomers" that were also on the committee were always productive and really good to have on the committee after many "locals " either didn't want to, or couldn't be bothered to join.
The village had several leather factories and one factory that made fire doors - all of which employed either people in the village, or people from nearby villages and towns that were literally bussed in each day. All was good until the downturn in the 1980s - it was cheaper to buy leather from overseas for the shoe manufacturers. The factories closed one by one. The door factory closed in the 1990s after the owner died, was sold to another company that asset stripped , then closed it down. The village that I grew up in was dying, the local school was under threat of closure. Thankfully ,in some ways, several small housing developments were built. New people and families moved in, a lot from London, and people that wanted what was cheaper housing than nearby towns.
The school is thriving, many local groups such as cubs, scouts, cricket club, tennis club, drama group and so on have new members. The village hall is in full use again after a major redesign to bring it up to todays standards.
No, I no longer know everyone in the village, get passed by without even a "hello" from people, new people form the committees I once belonged to but that is the way it should be and I'd like to think that anyone that moves in is made to feel welcome, for however long they stay. Each has an input, whatever I may think and quite frankly Specs, I'd hate to live where you are, having to endure the constant sniping and muttering of " things are never the same as when we were growing up" and being seen harshly as an outsider by the so called "indigenous" community for all its in breeding !

Oh dear - what small minded people must live in your village/town- please tell us where you live? It sounds almost incestuous. I feel very sorry for the young people who live there - they should escape ASAP.

NanaSuzy I do love the North. We used to holiday up there when we had our caravan. Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and Moors, Northumberland. I even like Newcastle!

So where are you, OP? So we all know where not to come?

Sorry to say so specs, but these people have every right to live there just the same as you! And yes you should be 'blaming' the ones who are selling out not the ones buying! Although i do suspect maybe they wanted to get away from the other cliquey unwelcoming local folk thats why they sold up! You dont sound like a very nice village! As for the comittees etc why not speak out to them and make a stand! If you object to what newcomers want then say so- but also wouldnt a few new ideas be a "breath of fresh air" too.in a few years time maybe those incomers will be the settlers.Lets hope their a friendlier more welcoming lot.

Gonegirl - re sprucing up the North! Come to where I live, it's absolutely beautiful. I have returned to my homeland after an exile of 42 years living in the London area (because of work). We recently moved back up North and I have never been so happy, ever. But re the original post, our London-y area was ok for the first few years, until it was invaded by the tentacles of a nearby old-established University; whole roads became turned over to HMOs (houses of multiple occupation) aka student ghettos. It became impossible to sell houses in those areas apart from to Landlords who would immediately convert the house to students rooms. We had many reasons for leaving, mainly concerned with roots and family, but glad to escape from the creeping student population.

Goodness gracious me. What an ungenerous mentality. Well done Bluebell for speaking out.I agree with all of that. Accepting people for who they are regardless of what they possess or where the come from is all part of a learning curve of growing up.
I was brought up in a smallish community where everyone lived side by side and got on well whoever they were. I moved away when I was 18 years old and went to London where the communities were diverse but nevertheless muddled along. Today I can go back to the village where I grew up and the attitude is much the same and people from all over have have moved in.
I would suggest that you look outwards and see that newcomers can enrich your environment.

I lived in London for 14 years and only moved to Dorset and then to Devon when my children were small. The reason we moved was even back then more than 40 years ago drugs were being found in schools. They are probably now found in Devon too, I don't know. All I know is that my children live in the country and we all love it.

Thank you all for the biggest laugh of the day (so far) .

We are merely custodians of this planet, country, town, village, home etc. So why not welcome new comers to where we live with new ideas to share our bounty.

I absolutely love where I live - about 1/4 mile from where I was born. Despite travelling to many other countries with work, I always count down time to return to where I belong, where I can relax, walk in the countryside or at the beach (where many many different languages can be heard as one strolls along the prom). But I dont own it here - just count my blessings that here is where I call home.

The only thing that gets me angry is when people move here and criticise every small thing - then I dont always hold back from telling them to remove themselves back from whence they originated

And as for Airbnb! That plus city folk downsizing do dramatically change the economics of property.

You cannot change the fact that wherever you live richer people will buy up houses in your area. There are always richer people and many are old and just want to live somewhere that they think is nicer than the place they are leaving.
My daughter aged 52 recently moved back to England from Canada. She spotted a house she liked on the internet and came to England for a couple of days to view it. It was in a nice little village, She put in an offer which was accepted. A few weeks later she moved in. Now she is complaining that almost everyone in the village is old and she has nothing in common with them,. No way could she have afforded a place in London where her daughter works. In Vancouver almost all the houses were being bought by wealthier people from all over the world, especially China and Korea.
Its just the same there!!! Money trumps everything.

Out of interest Specs which county are you in?

I think that it's called change. I rather think that you have to live with it.

As somebody doing exactly what you are disliking so much, I can only say whoops .sorry ..but wherever you live hopefully not where I am going.
At this stage of life people want to embrace a future with some possibilities and excitement and abit of the unknown..hence they move to a different area.. we often gravitate towards the sea..we crave abit of the unpredictable..live a little vicariously.. we all have given ourselves to,our families and friends and got bored with our current location and are off to pastures new..hopefully to a welcoming community ..I just simply want a change of scene. Even if the metaphorical boot was on the other foot I dont think I would view things as you have but we are all different. ( happily)

Its not only people moving in its also no opportunities for the young. When jobs are all in cities and commuting is so stressfull and suffering from lack of investment what can you expect.
As a city dweller who had no alternative but to live in a city for work, and a few years from retirement I would love to live near a village with green views. However because of the lack of public transport and services I would be worried about it.
It looks like you are stuck with those who can afford 4x4's who use their country home as a second or retirement home or the village dies.

I don't think it is an unreasonable view. Mixed communities work best. I am in retirement flats but we are surrounded very closely by a mixed estate. Aside from my nightmare neighbour who we have to deal with, I like the quietness of my block and neighbouring flats but with people of all kinds and ages around.
My mother has just had to move into a care home. I rang her soon after she moved in and she said 'aaah, I don't like it here'. I asked her why and she said 'It's all old people'. She will be 94 in a few weeks. There are quite a few people there in their 100s and many are quite infirm so she is looking at her own mortality or deteriorating life. A different situation obviously, but she would be much healthier in a mixed arrangement. It is understandable that that isn't possible as she does need a lot of care now, she has no use of one hand and only a little in the other so needs quite a bit of practical help, so the staff need to be used to dealing with older people but mentally it is not the best. She likes the staff so I know that she is not being mistreated which, given what she can afford to pay, is the main concern.
I think the idea of moving to the seaside is often a long way from the reality. People rarely visit those areas in the winter and go when they are able to drive and are reasonably mobile.
I don't think it is about people being unwelcome, just the changing demographic of the area being a problem for others that want to live there. People have to be able to talk about these things as long as they don't make it personal.

Gonegirl - it's not obligatory, we don't get dragged out of our houses to attend the management company organise some of these events, I don't go to the drinks round the Christmas tree, cos often it's too cold. Do go to the summer ones, our grounds are adjacent to the Thames so depending on weather can be nice. Not for everyone, but some people welcome the opportunity of getting together.

If you don't like these newbies in your community, maybe you should blame the local people who sold out for the money, rather than them!!

So right. Disgusting!

Glad I don’t live where you do, or should I say I hope I’m not living where you are.