A Place in the Country: the Contribution of Second Homes to North Devon Communities

A place in the country: the contribution of second homes to North Devon communities Submitted by Jenny Elizabeth Barnett, to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography, August 2013. This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ………………………………………………………….. 1 Abstract This research examines the sustainability and participatory objectives of the UK’s planning system in a geographical context. It aims to explore the relationships between communities and place, and the connections between national government, local governments and communities in planning processes and outcomes. It also considers the role of planning in shaping places and communities, and how planning endeavours to include communities in decision-making through encouraging participation in community activities. This thesis argues that there is a gap between planning policy and rhetoric and the implementation of policy within specific community contexts. The research is a piece of collaborative research conducted with the planning department at North Devon Council (NDC). Through developing an original empirical case study of data from parishes within North Devon, planning’s sustainability and participatory agendas are examined through the framework of second homes considered a distinct yet related form of tourism (Jaakson, 1986). The research unpicks popular understandings of second homes through quantitative and qualitative research and argues that there are nuanced existences and experiences of second home properties, compounding the difficulty of defining these properties that produce both non-permanent residents and semi- permanent tourists. Exploration of the socio-economic contributions of second homes within host communities suggests that second homes have potential to contribute unsustainable traits, particularly social impacts, to host communities while also having potential to bring positive, predominantly economic, contributions. The empirical research demonstrates that notions of community from resident and policy maker perspectives illustrate that place is not necessary to understanding or experiencing community but has a key role in framing both policy and North Devon residents’ perceptions of community. Through examining the most recent round of democratic renewal in the planning system, issues of power and responsibility within planning functions are reviewed. It argues that the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition neighbourhood planning obligations reveal a dichotomy between community desire for power and the realism of heightened responsibility. 2 "But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months." "Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anyone or anything.” “But the plans were on display...” “On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.” “That's the display department.” “With a torch.” “Ah, well the lights had probably gone.” “So had the stairs.” “But look, you found the notice didn't you?” “Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying: "Beware of The Leopard". Douglas Adams (1979) 3 Table of Contents Abstract 2 List of Tables 10 List of Figures 11 List of Maps 11 List of Graphs 11 List Of Frequently Used Acronyms 13 Acknowledgements 14 Chapter One: Introduction 15 1.1 The Origins Of The Research Proposal 16 1.2 Sustainability, Communities And UK Planning 17 1.3 Participation And Communities 19 1.4 Second Homes 20 1.5 Case Study Location And Collaborative Research 22 1.6 Research Aim, Objectives And Research Questions 23 1.7 Thesis Structure 26 Chapter 2: Research Context: Community, Planning And Participation 28 2.1 Introduction To Chapter 28 2.2 The Purpose Of Planning 30 2.3 Post-War Planning 31 2.4 The 2004 And 2010 Planning Reforms And Civic Inclusion In Planning 34 2.5 The Fluid Rescaling Of Planning Policy 37 2.5.1 Processes Of UK Devolution As Spaces Of Sustainability And Democracy. 38 2.5.2 Coalition Removal Of Regional Planning And Connections With Communities 40 4 2.6 ‘Local’ Spaces Of Community And The Neighbourhood 42 2.6.1 Community And Society 42 2.6.2 The Role Of Place And The ‘Neighbourhood’ 44 2.7 The Evolution And Statutory Inclusion Of The Sustainable Community 47 2.7.1 Resilient Sustainable Communities 48 2.8 Sustainability And Sustainable Communities In Policy 50 2.8.1 Establishing The Meaning Of Sustainable Communities In Policy 53 2.9 The Lens Of Governmentality 57 2.9.1 The Rationalities, Technologies And Problematics Of Government 59 2.9.2 Viewing Planning Through The Lens Of Governmentality 62 2.9.3 Power And Micro Governance 63 2.9.4 The Non-Sustainable And Non-Participating Communities As Problematisations 65 2.10 Participation As Core To Sustainability And Planning 68 2.10.1 Mechanisms Of Participation 69 2.10.2. The Democracy Of Participation In Planning 70 2.10.3 Neutral Planning 72 2.11 The Democratic Renewal Of Planning Policy 73 2.12 Motivations And Barriers To Participation 77 2.12.1 Barriers To Participation And The Potential For ‘Organisational Paralysis’ 78 2.13 Chapter Summary 80 Chapter 3: Housing And Second Homes: Key Characteristics And Issues 82 3.1 Introduction To Chapter 82 3.2 Social Housing And The Right To Buy 83 3.3 Housing Affordability And Planning 83 3.4 Housing Policy 85 5 3.5 Second Homes 87 3.5.1 Second Homes - The Problem Of Definition 88 3.5.2 Second Homes And House Prices 90 3.5.3 Economic Impacts Of Second Homes 91 3.5.4 Second Homes And Local Populations 93 3.5.5 Environmental Impacts Of Second Homes 95 3.5.6 Second Homes Governance And Policy 95 3.6 Chapter Summary 97 Chapter 4: Methodologies 99 4.1 Introduction To Chapter 99 4.2 Collaborative Research In Practice 100 4.3 The Methodology Of Partnership With North Devon Council 102 4.3.1 Gatekeepers 102 4.3.2 Ownership 103 4.3.3 Positionality And Identity 104 4.3.4 Negotiation 105 4.3.5 Anonymity 106 4.4 Research Aim, Objectives And Questions 107 4.5 Methodological Process 108 4.6 Research Location And Case Study Parishes 109 4.7 Methodological Design 114 4.7.1 Secondary Data 114 4.7.1.i Secondary Data Limitations 115 4.7.2 Self Completion Questionnaire 115 4.7.2.i Sample 116 4.7.2.ii Survey Strategy 117 4.6.2.iii The Envelope 120 4.7.2.iv Timeframe 122 4.7.2.v Questionnaire Limitations 123 4.7.3 Interviews 123 4.7.3.i Sample 126 6 4.8 Ethical Considerations 128 4.9 Data Analysis Framework 129 4.10 Evaluation Of The Methodological Approach 120 4.11 Chapter Conclusion 132 Chapter 5: Conceptualisations Of Second Homes And The Socio-Economic Contributions Of Second Homes To Host Communities 134 5.1 Introduction To Chapter 134 5.2 Research Representativeness 135 5.2.1 Sample Size 135 5.2.2 Second Home Proportions: Survey And Tax Data 135 5.2.3 Demographic Profile 136 5.3 Understandings And Experiences Of Second Homes And Holiday Homes 138 5.3.1 The Problem Of Second Home Definition 138 5.3.2 Occupiers And Occupation Rate Of Non-Permanent Dwelling Properties 141 5.3.3 Demographic Comparison Between Property Types And Location 146 5.3.3.i Household Age And Size 146 5.3.3.ii Household Income 148 5.3.3.iii. Household Highest Education Qualification 149 5.3.3.iv. Property Tenure 151 5.3.3.v. Property Occupation And Expected Future Occupation 151 5.3.3.vi. Previous Use Of A Non-Permanent Dwelling Property 154 5.3.3.vii. Additional Property Ownership 154 5.4 Opinions About Second Homes 155 5.4.1 Property Volume 155 5.4.2 Local Contribution Of Second Homes 159 7 5.5 Relationships And Perceived Relationships Between Second Home Ownership And House Prices 165 5.5.1 House Prices In North Devon 165 5.5.2 Resident Perceptions Of House Prices 168 5.6 Second Homes And Sustainable Communities 177 5.6.1 Housing And Built Environment: “A quality built and natural environment.” 180 5.6.2 Environmental: “Providing places for people to live in an environmentally friendly way.” 183 5.6.3 Transport and Connectivity: “Good transport services and communication linking people to jobs, schools, health and other services.” 185 5.6.4 Services: “A full range of appropriate, accessible public, private, community and voluntary services” 187 5.6.5 Equity: “People of all ages, races, cultures, sexes and abilities are given access to services, jobs and education in the community”. 191 5.6.6 Economy: “A flourishing and diverse local economy” 192 5.7 Chapter Summary 199 Chapter 6: Notions of community and the contributions second homes 202 6.1 Introduction to Chapter 202 6.2 Empirical Understandings of Community 203 6.2.1 A Sense of Community 203 6.2.2 A Perceived ‘Loss’ of Community 205 6.2.3 The ‘Personal Community’ 208 6.2.4 A Community Of Overlapping Communities 212 6.3 The Influence of ‘Local’ and ‘Place’ in Community 214 6.3.1 The Differences in Community Experiences Between Case Study Parishes 216 6.3.2 Drawing Boundaries 219 6.3.3 ‘Local’ Housing for ‘Local’ People 221 8 6.4 The Individual’s Symbiosis With Community 223 6.4.1 Analysis Of Community Variables Profiling Permanent Residents And Second Home Owners 228 6.5 Reflexive Sustainable Communities Of North Devon 231 6.6 Second Homes And Social Sustainability In Host Communities 236 6.7 Chapter Summary 244 Chapter 7: Citizen Participation - Personal Motivations And The Contribution Of Semi-Permanent Residents.

Load more