A pretty seaside town is changing for the worse as its community spirit is eroded by second homeowners according to a local resident.
Jane Temple has lived in the popular North Norfolk town of Blakeney for 60 years. Originally born in the town which sits close to popular destinations Cromer and Sheringham, Jane has seen the town change a lot in recent years.
She told the Express how Blakeney has changed “dramatically over the years” as businesses and people left the area and more and more people driven by profit moved in.
Jane said: “The school was full, the high street had many shops, and the village shops as a whole were varied and supplied for many different types of needs.
“We had in Blakeney and the surrounding villages; butchers, bakers, supermarkets, post offices, haberdashery, clothing, fashion items, hardware, bank, newsagents, art galleries, boat chandlery, fishmonger, gift shops, restaurants, pubs, hotels, antique shops, greengrocers.”
It is to be expected that during someone’s lifetime, the make-up of the place they call home will fluctuate, but not always for the better.
Jane said that while some of Blakeney’s new arrivals “contribute much to the community” others are simply moving in, knocking down local homes and replacing them with gargantuan mansions that will never again be owned by local people.
She said: “During my lifetime the people that live here now can be made up of locals and others that have moved into the area but contribute much to the community.
“This is changing again constantly, and there are fewer locals, as to be expected as it’s a normal route for a local to have to move to cheaper areas, but the houses that are at present being knocked down and rebuilt are being replaced by massive houses, which will never come back into local ownership.”
Jane added: “The houses that are constantly done up and made bigger/better are then out of range completely. Even small houses made into designer homes are out of reach price-wise.”
It’s not just the geography of Blakeney that is fluctuating, because of the seismic change within the town, the community spirit is unrecognisable too.
Jane said Blakeney was changing for the worse and that the people “that come to the area without wishing to be involved in the community are doing the damage by slowly eroding the community spirit that is so important to the area”.
She added: “This can be building companies, holiday homes used the odd time during the year, anyone who is more interested in making a profit than caring about what goes on.”
The impact of this has been substantial as the key joints of a community get broken down, smaller, or just disappear altogether.
Jane said: “Shops have closed, pubs have closed, schools are smaller, clubs are folding, village halls are not used so much so struggle to stay open, doctor surgeries are closing, community-led fund raisers struggle to attract support.
“Another major change is the number of clubs and groups that used to thrive with a healthy community, who were happy to ‘join in’ and support, and in fact have fun.
“These have slowly disbanded over time as the community has changed.”
Before Blakeney was a mainstream tourist destination, it was a for a long time a commercial seaport until the early 20th century and before this time it had a reputation for piracy in the 12th century.
According to experts, several foreign merchant ships which sought shelter in its harbour allegedly had their cargo stolen.
Later on, Blakeney became a popular spot for rich individuals to call home, including renowned 1930s racing driver Sir Tim Birkin.
Following his death at the age of just 36, Sir Tim Birkin was buried in the churchyard at St Nicholas Church, just a short walk from the centre of Blakeney.
