Our seaside town is ruined by second home owners... there's no space

• Motors

• Harry Goodwin

• Published: 0:22, 25 Jun 2023
• Updated: 2:38, 25 Jun 2023

FUMING residents say second home owners are ruining their seaside town - with no space left for them to park.

Locals in Lynmouth, Devon said the parking problem will only get worse if the council lets second home owners park for free on one of the town's three streets.

A planned parking zone would reserve spaces along the street for people who have homes there - with absent second home owners counted as permanent residents.

Lifelong villager Richard Briden slammed the plans - claiming that "real locals" would be unable to park in the vacant spaces left by second home owners in winter.

In a letter to the North Devon Journal, he wrote: "This policy effectively supports second home owners in preference to and over and above full-time permanent residents.

"Parking has always been a problem in Lynmouth especially during the height of the season."

He added that second home owners will be allowed to park for free all year long, while full-time residents are forced to pay £4.80 for a maximum of just four hours a day.

He added: "Even in winter when Tors Road is deserted, full-time Lynton and Lynmouth residents will still have to pay.

"Lynmouth will lose effectively some 40 car parking spaces.

"If this is passed 'sure as eggs is eggs' parking meters will now come to all of Lynton and Lynmouth."

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A spokesman for Devon County Council said it treats "permanent residents and second home owners equally when it comes to parking in Devon".

They added: "This has been our Policy since 2004. This was reviewed in 2020 and there was no change.

"Pay and Display does not subsidise the permits for residents in Tors Road.

"Residents there pay the same for their parking permit as others using similar residents’ schemes elsewhere in Devon."

It comes after residents of a seaside town slammed as a the "worst place on earth" hit back - and said how lucky they feel to live there.

Locals in another pretty seaside village slammed posh second home owners for turning it into a "ghost town" where locals can't afford to buy.