1. Remote Rural areas North Norfolk

2. Brancaster Southwold & Walberswick

3. North Norfolk - AONB 40,000 people live here Most remote & rural part of East Anglia Sparsely populated areas 30% pop = elderly 22% decrease in 16–29 yr olds since 1991 24% increase in 45 – 69 yr olds Ageing population – pressure on health care 47% Suffolk adults don’t have access to a car; 30% N Norfolk adults don’t have driving licences Low proportion of “affordable” homes Low proportion of Local Authority homes c.33% households have incomes below EU definition of “poverty”

4. Second Homes Over 30% of properties in some villages are 2 nd homes (e.g., Brancaster, Cley, Blakeney, Happisburgh etc) 15% in AONB as a whole Most buyers from London & SE Large proportion are in 40’s & 50’s. Concern about loss of economically active population Source: http://www.northnorfolk.org/planning/documents _forward_planning/Three_Dragons_- _Executive_Summary.pdf http://www.northnorfolk.org/planning/documents _forward_planning/Three_Dragons_- _Executive_Summary.pdf

5. “We are a local agency specialising in the letting of around 120 of the best holiday cottages - mostly much-loved second homes in the North Norfolk coastal area…” Quote from www.north-norfolk-holidays.co.uk

6. Housing problems Housing stockBrancasterN Norfolk % owner occupied 32.525 % second homes 34.67.2 Average house price (2003-4) £351,000£170,000 Population % households with at least 1 pensioner 61.848 % households with income below £20k 37.438.2

7. Consequences Communities at risk - Negative multiplier Southwold & Walberswick – “Hampstead on Sea” Southwold: 1,250 properties – 450 are second homes or holiday lets Local pub – “fancy eatery” Local shops now antique shops/boutiques. Other shops & services close – do not meet thresholds (seasonal) Decline in local school population Local waste collection/transport have fluctuating demand Social divide – resentment between locals & incomers Community sustainability threatened Property-rich, community-poor http://www.exploresouthwold.co.uk/

9. Solutions? Create sustainable communities Provide homes – use Govt’s Exception Policy & a Rural Housing Enabler, ie, can build on land where it’s not normally allowed in rural villages with proven housing needs Provide affordable homes - if are connected to village by birth, have lived there for some years, work in the village. Community transport – Bittern Community Rail Partnership (subsidised) Vital Villages Programme administered by East of England Development Agency – dial-a-minibus, flexible routes, post & deliveries, medi-bus…

10. Provide jobs – diversify agriculture, eg, pick- your-own; recreational farms, open farms, farmers’ markets etc… Develop tourism – more jobs, can be year-round (Center Parcs in Thetford Forest); but just swapping low-paid, low-skilled jobs in farming for similar in tourism? Tackle social exclusion – Objective 2 funding for areas with declining industries. Create new jobs so keep young people in area

11. Cloke’s Index People moving to E Anglia do not depend on the countryside for their living – area becomes less rural, ie, its rurality declines Cloke devised index to show how rural (or urban) an area is See this link – loads of additional resources: http://www.geographypages.co.uk/a2ruralurban2.htmhttp://www.geographypages.co.uk/a2ruralurban2.htm Indicators used: Female population aged 15 – 45 Occupational structure Pop change 1961 -71 No people working outside settlement Distance from urban area of 50,000+ Pop over 65 Household amenities Pop density Inward migration in previous 5 yrs

12. Homework From the specimen: Explain why the social structures of rural settlements are changing

13. Second Home Issues http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/arti cle3466783.ecehttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/arti cle3466783.ece http://cymuned.net/blogsaesneg/?page_id=22 http://www.wales4sale.com/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/612 8218.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/612 8218.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1790896.stm http://www.assetsure.com/news-21b0907.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news/022002/25/dar tmoor_homes.shtmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news/022002/25/dar tmoor_homes.shtml