Rapid Evidence Assessment of the Research ... - Rural Housing

What is the geographical distribution of second homes across England, and what are the characteristics of places with
a high concentration of second homes?
119. Tables 6 and 7 show that at a local authority level the locations with the highest proportions of second
homes have remained fairly consistent in recent years. The ‘Top Three’ are the City of London, Isles of Scilly
and South Hams in Devon each with more than ten per cent of the housing stock as second homes. Of the
top twenty locations (Table 7), four are in Cornwall and three in London. Over a quarter of the housing stock in
the City of London was classified as second homes in 2006, as was nearly eight per cent in Kensington and
Chelsea and Westminster.
120. Figure 2 shows the high proportion of second homes in the South West, several coastal locations and
London. As the CRC report (2006, p11) from which the map is taken suggested, “High proportions of the
housing stock are second homes in much of South West England and Cumbria, with significant concentrations
also in Northumberland, North Yorkshire, coastal East Anglia and parts of the south coast.” The report also
noted the high levels of second homes in the City of London and several London boroughs.
Figure 2: Second Homes as Proportion of the Housing Stock at Local Authority Level 2004/5
Source: CRC (2006) Evaluation of the use of reduced Council Tax discount from second homes by rural authorities 2004/5
(using ODPM Council Tax data)
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