The surge in holiday lets in tourism hotspots will be discussed by members of the Lake District National Park Authority next week, many public figures fear it is driving residents out of their area.
A meeting of the Park Strategy and Vision Committee is set to take place in Kendal on Tuesday.
And members of the committee will be given sight of the Lake District National Park Authority’s response to Government on the latest Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill.
In their response, LDNP bosses set out the deepening issue around the unabated rise in holiday lets within their area. The second homes are rented-out to visitors and are subject to less taxation than permanent homes.
Public figures say they are appearing at such a rate in areas like Keswick, Penrith and South Lakeland, that it is eroding the number of homes available to first-time buyers from the areas.
In its evidence, the LDNP give Government a stark account of the deepening issue including that 25 per cent of housing stock within the national park boundary has “no permanent resident.”
“The growth in the number of holiday houses has been at the expense of homes in permanent occupation and has helped drive prices to very high levels.”
Cumbria County Council member for Keswick, Tony Lywood said: “It’s good to see the Lake District National Park playing an active role in trying to restrict the surge of holiday lets which are squeezing the very life out of Lake District communities.
“If we are not careful, our towns and villages will just become tourist dormitories without substance and without a heart.”
Cllr Lywood is calling on the Lake District National Park to issue a strong statement on the lack of restrictions in its correspondence with Government.
He said: “This is all to do with proportionality. Holiday lets are great for our economy but in large numbers they will strangle the very community that the tourists come to visit.
“The Lake District National Park must play an active and decisive part in helping to restrict further encroachment into the communities that live in the park.”
Papers for next week’s meeting reveal that the authority may be called upon to give verbal evidence at the Government’s Public Bill Committee in the Houses of Parliament.
Both Allerdale Borough Council and Cumbria County Council have unanimously agreed to write to Central Government calling for action on the issue.
