Richmondshire tops second home table (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Richmondshire tops second home table

2:37pm Monday 22nd October 2012 in News By Joe Willis, Regional Chief Reporter

NEW figures reveal that a North Yorkshire district has a higher percentage of second homes than almost anywhere else in the country.

According to statistics from the 2011 Census published today (October 22), 5,129 people have a second residence in Richmondshire.

The percentage of 99 people with a second home in the district compared to 1,000 local residents is the third highest in the country – behind only the City of London and the Isles of Scilly.

Revealing the figures, the Office for National Statistics said the reason was mainly due to the number of military personnel based in the area - which includes Catterick Garrison - who listed their barracks as their second home.

The list also revealed that 3,697 people said they had a second home for holiday use in Scarborough, with 1,204 people having a holiday property in Craven, placing both in the top 20 for holiday home locations.

Nationally, Cornwall had the highest number of second homes for holiday use with 10,169.

Guy Goodwin, Census director, said: “This is the first time that the census has collected information about the number of people who have second addresses.

“These statistics should be of particular interest to local authorities as they will provide information about people who do not live in the area full time, but who spend time there.”