Famous campaigner refuses to sell house to second hom...

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14 February 2022

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Famous campaigner refuses to sell house to second home buyer

A famous environmental campaigner has sold his home to a local - because he feels second homes are “obscene and grotesque.”

Green activist and Guardian columnist George Monbiot sold his house in Machynlleth, Powys, to a local family in the town rather than a potential second home owner.

He has owned the home since 2007 and has described the effect second homes can have on an area as "obscense and grotesque".

He tells the Wales Online website: “I'm very strongly against the ownership of second homes and I think they are a major cause of homelessness in this country, especially in scenic and coastal areas.”

He continues: "I think it’s just obscene that while we have so many people who are either homeless or underhoused at the same time we have the rich people owning more than one home, which they obviously don’t fully use. It’s grotesque that that is allowed to happen.

"If I had advertised this house in London - it’s exactly the sort of house which rich people would want as their second home. I think I would have had a lot more money from it.

“But it’s got to be more than just money - we are constantly told that our greatest aim is to make as much money as possible, and I think no - we should have enough but we should be able to recognise when we’ve got enough.

"The constant pursuit of more money than you need is what’s trashing the living world - economic growth is what’s basically driving environmental disasters but also destroying our social fabric life. We all owe an obligation of decency to other people. It’s what sits at the heart of this life. Unfortunately, we are brought up in a system that tells us that we don’t."

Monbiot's decision comes amid the Welsh Government's consultation on the second homes' situation across the country.

He says: "I want to see is effective government action to stop this. I’m very much aware of the Welsh Government’s consultation. But, in the absence of that I think that people selling homes should be careful not to sell them to second home owners.

"There are a couple of things we could do to tackle the crisis. First of all, I think we should define second homes as an extravagant that our nation cannot afford. While there are so many people homeless or underhoused, communities are falling apart because young people can’t afford to live in them, it is entirely ridiculous that people can own homes that are not permanently inhabited. And so, either we say there is going to be an outright ban on them or you raise taxes on them to such an extent that it becomes prohibited to own one.

"And then there is sort of related questions about what you do with holiday lets? I think most people would agree there should be some as people want holidays and a lot of communities rely on there being holiday lets for local income, but I think that should be regulated.”

You can see the whole Wales Online story here.

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- Tim
- 14 February 2022 07:47 AM
I wonder if many people will be brave enough to comment on how naive Mr Monbiot seems.

- James Gibbs
- 14 February 2022 08:02 AM
Another posh boy with leftist views probably reacting against his parents after being converted at the marxist training centres currently called universities. Now hopefully that will get a few going ha!
Tim

14 February 2022 08:29 AM
Yes, that should do it
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- Richard Copus
- 14 February 2022 10:32 AM
Good for him! I've come across this on a number of occasions over the last few decades and it rarely leads to the seller getting less for their home than they otherwise would, so not as altruistic as it may seem. Not advised in a buyers' market though and I'm talking about the south-west of England and not Wales.