St Mawes, the Cornish village often called the 'St Tropez of England' and a favourite of the Royal Family, is grappling with an affordable housing crisis as skyrocketing property prices push younger generations out of the community.
Property Prices Soar Beyond Local Reach
Of the 45 homes currently for sale in St Mawes, 23 are priced between £1 million and £8.5 million. In stark contrast, only one three-bedroom family home is available at £325,000, leaving many local families unable to afford to live there.
Local resident John Andrews said: 'It's a sort of victim of its own success in one way, but there's a lot of Cornish villages that have got the same problem - that's market forces. When you live basically in paradise, I suppose it's the price that you're paying.'
Population Decline Reflects Housing Crisis
Office for National Statistics figures show the number of permanent residents fell from 851 in 2001 to 644 in 2021—a drop of more than 20 per cent. Campaigners say electoral register data suggests an even steeper decline over the past three decades.
Resident Alan Macklin said: 'There are a lot of very expensive homes which put prices outside the reach of the local families. There is a critical demand and a desperate shortage of affordable homes.' He added that many workers now commute into St Mawes daily because they can no longer afford to live there, noting the influx of white vans on the main road each morning.
Community-Led Solution: SMART Development
To address the shortage, local volunteers have formed the St Mawes Affordable Regeneration Team (SMART), which plans to build 17 genuinely affordable homes for local families on a former school field. The £3.5 million project includes one-bedroom flats and family homes, sold at cost price or rented affordably.
SMART member Crawford Rogers said: 'Once those are completed, there's a generation of youngsters who will be catered for.' The project is expected to combine public funding with community investment, and campaigners are urging residents to support the planning application.
Tourism Remains Vital, Second-Home Owners Not Blamed
Despite the housing pressures, residents insist tourism is the lifeblood of the local economy. Mr Macklin stated: 'We can't afford not to have the tourism. If tourism died, the village would die.'
Campaigners are careful not to blame second-home owners. Chris Rose said: 'The problem isn't the high prices necessarily or the second homeowners, it's just that it then creates that affordability gap.' Mr Rogers added: 'We want to have the second home owners, they're not the problem. We don't want to create a division because we need those guys because they're part of what's going on here.'
The development aims to allow more young families to stay in St Mawes, preserving the village's primary school, post office, and community life, ensuring it remains a living community rather than just a holiday hotspot.
