Idyllic Yorkshire village fury as locals are being driven out by Londoners buying holiday homes

Locals in an idyllic Yorkshire village have fumed that young people are being driven out in favour of people “from London” buying up houses as holiday homes.

Mytholmroyd is large village in Calderdale, near Hebden Bridge. It’s known for its picturesque views and annual Dock Pudding Championships. And for being drenched with flooding whenever the River Calder, which runs through the village, bursts its banks.

But locals have said there is another problem facing the locals. There’s fears that young people are driven out to make way for holiday home buyers. According to Rightmove, houses have been selling for hundreds of thousands in the area.

There is a population of 3,859 people in the 1.3km area, which is 96.9 per cent white and 57.1 per cent over 65 years old, according to the 2021 census.

Sisters Catherine Gray and Pamela Warhurst spoke about how they miss Mytholmroyd of old with so much changing over time. They’ve said in the past it was a tight knit community where everybody tended to know each other – but these days the sad reality is vastly different.

place

Catherine: “They all come from London and come and buy the houses which means the younger ones don’t get the chance then of going on the housing list. Although, I don’t think they’ve got the money to get on it nowadays.”

Pamela added: “It’s annoying because people are coming and buying here and using them as holiday homes. There’s something else as well, all the rents used to be a reasonable price, the rents are so much that the people who do live here, can’t afford them.”

‘Struggling’

One young person looking to leave the village is Terry Marsden, 34, from one of the estates in the area. He’s currently “struggling” to find employment in the market town.

Terry said: “There’s never been a lot to do for people growing up here, it’s not so much that it’s isolated, it’s just there’s not a lot to do.”

Terry said: “There is places that aren’t posh and there is places that are a bit. There are places with big posh houses. I live with my mum but I’m looking to move out of Mytholmroyd, anyway. I think I’m going to live in Sowerby Bridge.”

‘Disappointed’

Don Gibson, 87, a retired engineer, has said he’s “disappointed” at how much the village has changed over time, stating it used to be a much more working class area with plenty of jobs. He’s said this has all changed since the mills industry and shunting yard have closed down. Don said: “If I was looking for a job now, it certainly wouldn’t be here as there is not a lot left to do.”

He went on: “I moved away for 20-odd years and when I came back, I could not believe how they village had changed. We don’t have a bank anymore. Before I moved away, there was two fish and chip shops, a greengrocer shop, a supermarket, and quite a few other shops which have completely disappeared. It’s just changed so much, it was a thriving little village.

“It is still thriving in some ways, all the houses are snapped up straight away. It’s a disappointment to me that it’s changed so much – but don’t get me wrong, it’s still a lovely place to live. It’s more middle class now and I’m surprised at the number of old people walking around here with walking sticks.”

Get all the latest big and breaking Yorkshire news straight to your mobile via WhatsApp by clicking here.