Part of an article appeared in The Sunday Times 31st August 2003
Although local authorities in the Cotswolds say there has been no serious public opposition to the estates from local people, the same cannot he said of Britain's newest second-home
Owner-occupiers living near The Beach - a proposal for 511 holiday homes set to open in 2006 at Carlyon Bay in Cornwall - are resisting the plans fiercely.
"There is a need for new homes in the area," says Peter Browning, chair of local protest group, Carlyon Focus. "But nobody here could afford apartments that start at £300,000.
"I believe it will be harmful to the environment in the long term. It will destroy the ragged coastline and the beautiful beaches. This development will double the size of the village, and traffic is at saturation already. If this development gets the go-ahead, which beach is next? We will end up with a Costa del Carlyon and then Costa del Cornwall."
Planning permission for some aspects of the scheme has not yet been granted by Restormel council, although the authority says it supports the project in principle and believes it can help limit the effect of second-home owners elsewhere in the area.
Johnny Sandelson, chief executive of the developer Ampersand, says arguments over second homes miss the point of such a development bringing in tourist revenue for the region.
'The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which is considering objections, says if a public inquiry is held it will probably take place next year. Its conclusions may prove of wider importance than just in Cornwall, as developers keen to build more second-home estates are talking to local authorities in Lancashire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire.