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ONS holiday homes data

ended 20. June 2023

The ONS has just published a detailed report on holiday homes in England & Wales. Full report here, but some key points below. Any thoughts, whizz them across ASAP.

  • The South West had the highest concentration of holiday homes compared with other English regions and Wales, at 7.5 for every 1,000 homes.
  • This was followed by Wales, with 6.9 holiday homes for every 1,000 homes. London had the lowest, at 0.6 per 1,000.
  • The figure was higher in local authority areas known as popular tourist destinations. In South Hams in Devon, there were 44.1 holiday homes for every 1,000 homes.
  • This was the highest rate of any local authority area in England and Wales excluding the Isles of Scilly, which has a particularly small resident population.
  • South Hams has a long coastline and is home to the southern part of Dartmoor National Park, as well as the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
  • South Hams was followed by Gwynedd in North Wales (41.0 per 1,000 homes), which contains most of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, North Norfolk (38.7 per 1,000) and the Isle of Anglesey (32.9 per 1,000).

3 responses from the Newspage community

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Kate Allen
Owner at Finest Stays
A week's stay with us in the South Hams ranges from £1,000 to £15,000 giving a healthy passive income to second homeowners, most of whom have been holidaying here for generations, and in turn the local economy is given a huge boost with all the associated tourist activities.

The appetite for The Great British Holiday is never-ending, and with a coastline rivalling the Mediterranean, it’s no surprise that the South Hams has such a high concentration of holiday homes. Bookings-wise, London and the home counties account for over 25% of our bookings so far this year.
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Joe Stallard
Director and Advisor at House and Holiday Home Mortgages
In reality, there are 70,000 holiday/second homes out of an estimated 25m dwellings in the UK, which shows a relatively tiny proportion of second homes in the country. Having said that, it varies from region to region, and nobody wants to see communities struggle due to the number of holiday homes and holiday lets. So, this means that any response to the situation in terms of legislation should be focused on those most affected. With 1 in 10 second homes in some areas, local authorities need to analyse their local communities and explore what's happening. Somewhere like the South Hams, where many people who live there work in the traditionally low paid tourist trade does have what's called 'the Devon rule'. Whether this is enough or more needs to be done to provide all-important affordable homes to the local population should be constantly under review.
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Samuel Mather-Holgate
Independent Financial Adviser at Mather and Murray Financial
Britons like the sea and sunny weather. The further south and closer to the coast will always demand a premium price and those wanting a holiday home will choose these locations. The government need to consider smaller towns that attract a high proportion of tourists. South Hams having nearly 5% of all properties as 2nd homes is significand and really changes the feel of a town during off-seasons. It will also have knock-on economic effects on investment and job creation for locals in these areas.