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AIBU

Retirees bombarding our beautiful rural seaside area

(364 Posts)
Specs Sun 14-Apr-19 00:09:07

Okay,I think I am going to get bashed. Sorry folks who have retired to their holiday paradise land.
Our area is predominantly rural, with few large employers generating good incomes and thus pension pots are often low. But the big bonuses are beautiful scenery, beaches, no huge roads, friendly people and very little crime. Many of us are related, have long working relationships with each other, our children went to school together, we have kept local traditions going, supported countryside sports, football, rowing etc. In other words we have deep understanding and ties with each other and the land. We know the skeletons in our neighbours cupboards and that also bonds us.
But our lives have changed rapidly in recent years. There has always been a trickle of retirees. They have been welcomed and in their turn they have enriched our local community. Now virtually every time a house is sold it goes to an outsider. Often a cash buyer with a bigger pot of gold who can move quickly unlike the local person who cannot proceed with such speed.
Just like the icecaps our indigenous community is melting away because of the flood of retirees. Not only does it affect us as individuals, it affects our schools, sports clubs, our doctors surgery, our care of the elderly services etc.
Committees are often taken over by well meaning and well educated folk who have excessive time on their hands. Local knowledge is often not present anymore. Whenever a local entrepreneur wants to develop a business or a building project goes before planning there is a tremendous hue and cry. The new comers fight it with a vengeance. NIMBY. Social housing, so long as it isn’t next to the incomers.
Why do people retire to an area they have little connection with? Why do they in later years leave their friends and connections behind? Friends are quite different from acquaintances.

MawBroonsback Tue 16-Apr-19 09:04:50

My original remarks were private thoughts and observations. We all have those. I am open to listening to other people’s points of view. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand the world around us

Is a forum largely (ok not exclusively) aimed at the older generation the place then to lambast those who choose to move when they retire? To blame them for all the ills of our rural communities, taking no prisoners even although there will be many on this site who have “relocated” for whatever reason and do their best to be accepted as valuable members of their chosen community?
To encourage the vilification of all as “London types” regardless of background, occupation, income?
Many judgemental and hurtful (and unjustfiable) opinions have been expressed on this thread, which was apparently only your private opinion
hmmhmm

mcem Tue 16-Apr-19 08:57:07

Criticising the fact that some don't have perfect language skills?
Nasty comment catty.
(People in glass houses?)

Lily65 Tue 16-Apr-19 08:54:18

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catta5 Tue 16-Apr-19 08:44:42

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Ginny42 Tue 16-Apr-19 08:00:18

Ooops! It also shows that silly beggars like me post on the wrong thread! It's because the site froze on me so I copied then pasted on a previously viewed thread. Sorry OP.

Ginny42 Tue 16-Apr-19 07:57:08

Good morning Mick and everyone. Cloud is lifting already here in Cheshire and it's looking much brighter than when I first got up. Oh Oxford for shopping sounds very nice NaG55. I shall be there in a couple of weeks, Bicester too!

I'm out to lunch out with SiL and then to see friends. There may be some cake involved.

crystaltipps Tue 16-Apr-19 07:45:53

Basically, this thread shows that people will moan about anything. People moaning about other people...People moaning about other people moaning......

Specs Tue 16-Apr-19 06:28:16

How sad to watch the news last night and see Notre-Dame Spire and roof burning. An ancient and iconic symbol burnt to the ground. People will grieve for what was. And yet out of it will rise something new. A symbol of future regeneration. On the same news program was ,what I thought, a breath of fresh air from across the pond.. The gay Mayor Pete has thrown down the gauntlet and, supported by his husband, is going to challenge Donald Trump in the next Presidential elections. He said with a big smile ‘Change is coming ready or not.’
My original remarks were private thoughts and observations. We all have those. I am open to listening to other people’s points of view. Sometimes it’s difficult to understand the world around us. There are many different perspectives on life and living. And sometimes it helps to discuss things even though they might be difficult.
We also, possibly, have to realise that others will label us and treat it with a little humour.. [??].
Thank you for sharing and helping me make sense of a fast changing world.

Callistemon Mon 15-Apr-19 23:06:14

It was a B&B along the road from Hill Top, we stayed there many years ago and I sometimes wonder if they are still running it. The husband went fell running even though he was not that young!

SueDonim Mon 15-Apr-19 23:03:11

Your s/c cottage near the Beatrix Potter house sounds idyllic, Callistemon. ❤️

Callistemon Mon 15-Apr-19 22:56:58

Did no-one realise my post was tongue in cheek?
Does no-one understand a wink?

crystaltipps I've lived in London, in towns, a small town and a village.
And I have rung church bells in a large town too.

lemongrove Mon 15-Apr-19 21:42:57

Very nice Fennel ?

M0nica Mon 15-Apr-19 21:30:01

specs, I have a lot of sympathy with you. I guess you live in the West country, where wages are low and an influx of newcomers, mainly holiday homers and retired people, are pushing house prices up out of the reach of local people.

We are an overcrowded island, with many areas where housing is not sufficient and I can see the problem. Unfortunately I am not sure what the solution is. Holiday homes could be limited, a second home is a luxury. But people wanting to move their permanent home to a pleasant area is much less easily dealt with.

Fennel Mon 15-Apr-19 21:03:23

We, as retirees, moved into an extremely quiet rural area in France.
The commune was quite glad to see us, as we paid our house taxes and kept the property tidy etc. But there's much more space there.
In the UK space is at a premium, and so locals are more sensitive. That's my view anyway.
This was our home for many years:
www.google.com/maps/@43.3758796,0.4978314,3a,75y,311.74h,101.67t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sChhy5RPiRuAU2E-GRK_4lw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

crystaltipps Mon 15-Apr-19 20:09:41

“London types” ??? - nothing like a bit of stereotyping. What about “Manchester types” ,“ Home Counties types”, “ narrow minded country bumpkin types” ? all ghastly. Contrary to popular opinion on here not all who live in London are loaded, not all work in finance or media, many thousands work in ordinary jobs which don’t pay a fortune - teaching, nurses, police , firefighters etc etc so stop lumping everyone together.

MawBroonsback Mon 15-Apr-19 19:34:47

I give up. notanan you clearly have a massive bee in your bonnet on this subject, without, I hasten to add, convincing me or others of the factual background to your prejudice.

I wonder where I fit into this- mixed heritage, brought up in a small Scottish town amidst stunning scenery, 14 years in London and now in a Bucks village where I worked as a Secondary teacher in the nearest comprehensive for 13 years.
Incomer?

notanan2 Mon 15-Apr-19 19:22:56

What many do try to do is to become integrated in the community, feeling that a) they may have something to give

Top tip: if you are new to any group/commitee, even if not new to the area. Join with the initial aim of learning the ropes first, rather than with a head full of how you will be the one with the unique skills to shake things up!

There may be good reasons why things are as they are. Learn the lie of the land. Help out etc

notanan2 Mon 15-Apr-19 19:05:22

There is an exceedingly unattractive undertone of looking down on retired people

Retired people are pushed out when these weatlthy "bargain hunters" set their sights on a new area (because the last trendy place that got gentrified, is now too gentrified for gentrifying types hmm , so now they are looking further afield for the picture postcard life!)

And many of them are renters so where do they go now? OH and according to this thread they also should be happy about it..

notanan2 Mon 15-Apr-19 19:00:13

The reason these areas represent such "bargains" to london types is because the local salaries are lower and the house / rent prices of an area SHOULD reflect the types of incomes in that area.

By snapping up these "bargains" once retired from a region that pays more, you are having an impact! Not a beneficial one! So do it, no one can stop you, but dont kid yourself that you are doing the area any favours.

And no, having worked in a higher paid job does not necessarily mean you worked harder than lower imcome earners. The hardest I ever worked in my life was a min wage job. My professional roles where nowhere near as exhausting!

MawBroonsback Mon 15-Apr-19 18:58:23

“Even” not “Ben”, that’s the Broons’ weekend place- the But an Ben! grin

MawBroonsback Mon 15-Apr-19 18:56:16

And can people please stop obsessing about “London types”?
I wonder how many GN members have retired to another area and if so what % moved out of London, or Ben the Home Counties?
This clichéd stereotyping is misleading and frankly irrelevant.

Lily65 Mon 15-Apr-19 18:55:40

There is nasty undertone on here of laughing and looking down on lower income people

plenty of that about .

MawBroonsback Mon 15-Apr-19 18:53:14

There is an exceedingly unattractive undertone of looking down on retired people who, freed from the exigencies of commuting to work, choose to live in a pleasantly rural or seaside location.

notanan2 Mon 15-Apr-19 18:51:11

There is nasty undertone on here of laughing and looking down on lower income people.

Several posts saying, well serves them right for not moving to the city to chase the high life themselves instead of chosing lower income career paths in more rural areas where at the time they could live within their means.

Not moving to the city and getting on the property ladder young does not = small minded, stupid or lazy and it is small minded to think so.

No it does not benefit lower income people to have an influx of "city money" taking advantage of the fact that property is / WAS more affordable in areas where London types dont want to work. The trickle down effect has been debunked over and over again so please can we put that one to bed.

People who chose to hop around the country are not better or more open minded than those that don't. Those that dont are often the unpaid carers etc in life so can we stop all this LOLing at them for not being able to compete with the £££££££ influx, and for being sad about it!

crystaltipps Mon 15-Apr-19 18:50:53

Callistemon
Don't move into a house near the village church then moan about the bells ringing.- we have church bells in cities btw
Don't complain to the farmer/neighbour/whoever owns a cockerel that it wakes you too early and you want it put down - we have dogs barking in cities so noise isn’t anything new
Don't buy a house near the village school then complain about parents' parking or children shouting in the playground - plenty of people in cities live near schools, children, have inconsiderate parking
*Don't try turning the cosy country pub into a trendy bistro-type eaterie
or the quaint tea rooms into an upmarket coffee shop* how do you try to turn them into something else unless you buy it or run it yourself?
Don't take over the village committees/gardening club etc and try to change everything if you are invited onto a committee should you say no? Should a newcomer not integrate? If locals are so apathetic they can’t be bothered to go on the odd committee and keep everything the same you can’t blame them surely?
Don't moan about tractors driving slowly along the road - don’t locals moan about traffic jams or slow vehicles?
Or muck spreading in the next field well they can comment can’t they? Don’t the locals moan about anything? Its not going to stop the muck spreading.
And DO NOT buy the largest house on the edge of the village then start a campaign to stop anyone else building homes well you are shooting yourself in the foot there , if you don’t want more housing or people yourselves you can hardly complain about others not wanting it.
Let’s face it, people will moan about anything it’s not a “ city” way to moan as you have just demonstrated in your litany of moans - it’s called being human. And don’t lump everyone into the same boat.