Retirees bombarding our beautiful rural seaside area

You could probably buy my estate for the cost of a “London house” thankfully they wouldn’t come here though, as we don’t “do” champagne and oyster bars darling.....and they probably couldn’t understand the lingo anyway....phew....

I too agree with BlueBelle, we do not own our towns and villages, anyone has a right to live anywhere. I do take the point about young families being unable to stay-in their local area, but for about ten years we lived in a village where Prices were high , but time and time again the parish council put a block on building affordable housing, every time a plot of land came up for building, it would always be four to five bed homes, out of reach to locals, so I feel a lot of these problems could be avoided if people weren’t so precious about their villages

I don't mind people moving into my village, I don't have the right, because I did the same thing over thirty years ago, following my then husband and working in the local school. People who move in are entitled to take a role in the local community and many contribute a great deal.

What I don't like are people buying up property for holiday homes and rarely staying in them, turning some of the prettiest places into ghost villages. My village isn't quaint, most of the houses are new-build, and it is full of families.
But it is being hit by property speculators, who are building houses on every tiny piece of land they can get their hands on, and yes, it is the original inhabitants who are selling their back gardens, vegetable patches, paddocks and fields. (Modern properties have very little land.)

Eurgh! Shudder!!! (that to all that 'community' stuff in TerriBull's post)

gilly

the post which is quite a long way down/up the thread now

Seems to me everyone wants to live in my bit of the South-East these days. Why they spruce up the North? Make it more liveable in?

Maybe your poor NE seaside town could do with some incomers gilly to liven it up and improve the economy!

Look at Margate - definitely moribund until outsiders such as the Turner Gallery and arty trendies moved in. There's always criticism of everything being London-centric but then hostility if people dare venture to different parts of the country.

Life is changing for everyone. We have to 'suck it up'. Nothing to be done about it.

We can hardly complain about the lack of buses when we choose to live in the countryside as NIMBYs. Welcome your share of our steeply rising population and you may have a bus into town every 15 minutes.

People moan about Londoners as if they are a different species, yes we have people from all over the world living in my street and we talk to each other and have summer street parties as well. Glad I don’t live in some rural backwater where the locals moan about all the grockles ( I did live in Devon) .

I do agree with this comment. I live in London and welcome the diversity of the city which changes and develops constantly keeping us all "alive".

We lived in another country not too far from from the UK for a few years and I have never been made to feel so isolated and unwelcome - yet as a friend and neighbour I had a lot to offer.

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

So right. Disgusting!

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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)

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

Out of interest Specs which county are you in?

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.

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

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