BBC
Dee Goddard says she is about to 'give up' on finding a family home in the Derbyshire Dales
The Derbyshire Dales occupy a large part of the Peak District National Park and are close to four major British cities: Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Nottingham.
Due to its prime location and natural beauty, it has become a popular spot for families, visitors and tourists – particularly since the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to a decrease in overseas travel.
But like people in Cornwall and Yorkshire, families in this equally idyllic part of England are struggling to get a foot on the housing ladder, with a growing number of properties being used as second homes and holiday lets .
One family told the BBC that the housing shortage – affecting availability and affordability – has pushed them to the point of “giving up”.
The irony isn't lost on Dee Goddard, who grew up “down south,” when she says she initially moved to the area because “we thought it would be a cheaper option.”
The 31-year-old has lived in the Derbyshire Dales, in the village of Curbar, with her son and husband Baris for several years.
Dee and her husband, who both work at the University of Sheffield, currently spend more than 50% of their income on rent and council tax, excluding bills. So it's proven that it's better to save for the future – as well as find suitable housing to buy. “very difficult”.
“We have a one-year-old son, we would like him to grow up here, all our friends are here, we are very embedded in the local community, we go to church here, but it's really difficult to find what whatever. It’s affordable,” she said.
Dee says before the coronavirus pandemic, it was much easier to find a place to raise a family.
“I get notifications on my phone for properties that become available, and there are so few,” she says. “At the moment, it's simply impossible. We're overpriced.”
“It’s really quiet.”
The average house price in the Dales last year was £350,548, according to the UK House Price Index, compared to £270,733 in neighboring High Peak, which is also a tourist hotspot .
And recent figures from Derbyshire Dales District Council show there were 35,595 residential properties in the area in May 2024. In October, 1,053 of these were second homes, while 1,302 were rental properties. vacation.
However, in some Dales villages, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) says second homes and holiday lets make up a quarter of all residential units.
The LDRS also recently cited a report from The Times and Inside Airbnb, which said the district had one of the highest concentrations of Airbnbs in the Midlands.
Dee says: “Tourism benefits everyone – tourism supports local jobs – but at what cost?
“A few houses near us are all holiday homes, so it's very quiet. There's no one I can hang out with in the playgroup, because there's no one here.
“We need to think about the balance between tourism and people actually living in the villages that give them their soul and their heart, because otherwise people will come to visit us and there won't be a village community that they will be able to benefit.”
She added: “I think we're already on the verge of giving up. It's really sad to think about it, because all our friends are here, and you imagine your child going to school near you .”
Principal Oona Gilbertson says the lack of available accommodation for families is a factor in reducing the number of pupils in Eyam village in recent years.
Five kilometers away, the principal of Eyam CE Primary School, Oona Gilbertson, is concerned about the drop in student numbers in recent years. The school currently has 70 children.
She said: “We get quite a few people visiting the school who think they are going to move to the area.
“Then they can't find anywhere to rent and certainly nowhere to buy, and they have to go elsewhere. That makes it difficult to predict how many kids we'll have in school the following year and that affects the budget.”
Although there is clearly a buying appetite from families, many more want to holiday in the Dales and are looking for somewhere to stay.
Eyam CE primary school currently has 70 students
Among these are self-catering holiday homes, and Justin Heslop – the director of Peak Venues – has around 75 of them in the Peak District.
He said: “The self-catering holiday home market is vital to the local economy and the region.
“There are thousands of people who come every week. As we know, when you are at home you don't go out to the cafe, the pub, the restaurant three or four times a week, but the people who come in holiday homes do – and I think without it the businesses would really struggle.”
Visit Peak District and Derbyshire says tourism is worth £2.89 billion to the Peak District and Derbyshire, supporting 28,000 direct jobs.
Speaking about his properties, Justin says his company's unique selling point is being able to host large celebrations.
He says: “We realized there were some big properties that no one really wanted because of energy costs and so on, and if you're having a party for 30 or 40 people you can't do that at home, so I don’t think we’re necessarily taking homes off the market for people who need them.”
Justin Heslop, of Peak Venues, started operating holiday homes in 2006
A number of measures and restrictions have been suggested, including Derbyshire Dales District Council voting to increase council tax for people with second homes – but not for holiday homes.
Other restrictions – backed by the previous Conservative government – would force landlords to apply for planning permission to turn their property into a holiday let.
The district council has urged the new Labor administration to bring this bill to the House of Commons.
Meanwhile, Airbnb also backed the proposed rule changes but claimed travel through the US online rental platform generated £26 million and supported more than 425 jobs in the Dales last year.
Justin thinks measures would balance things out.
“A lot of people came into this market during Covid, when there was a lot of demand because people weren't going overseas,” he says.
“With the recording… we really have to think about it and not us against them, it's people from my sector and people from the authorities who are looking for the best that can be done.”
A holiday home in the hamlet of Hurdlow in Derbyshire
A district councilman said at a recent meeting that he knew of a property owner who spent only two days a year in the area and lived the rest of the time in Chicago.
District councilor Peter O'Brien, who represents the Hathersage ward, said the authority had urged the new Labor government and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner – who has the housing file in her portfolio – to implement implements the previously proposed legislation. .
He says: “At the moment there are no restrictions on anyone converting their home into a holiday home or second home. In places like Eyam we have between 15 and 20% of homes that are not habituated permed.”
He says if people were to apply for planning permission to turn a property into a holiday home, it would “put control” into communities to strike the right balance between providing accommodation, accommodation for local people and encouraging tourism.
“Tourism is a vital part of our local economy, but if we let it go too far in this direction, our communities will find themselves gutted,” he says.
Councilor Peter O'Brien supports more regulation of the holiday home sector
In a statement to the BBC, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We know that large numbers of holiday lets can have a significant impact on areas like Derbyshire. That's why we're introducing a registration system for short-term rentals and removing tax incentives for landlords to protect communities.
“However, we recognize that more needs to be done, which is why we are considering additional powers for councils to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lettings.”
In response, Peter O'Brien pledged to continue to pressure the Government to use planning laws to regulate the holiday home sector.
For Dee Goddard, she hopes people in the future won't be in her situation.
“Holiday homes themselves aren’t that bad, it’s just the sheer number of them,” she says.
“The real question is: what do holiday homes lead to? And if they lead to more empty villages, to the closure of our schools, then it's not worth it.”
Additional reporting by Eddie Bisknell, Local Democracy Reporter
The town of Bakewell is one of many holiday spots in the Derbyshire Dales
