Councils need long-term funding and more planning powers to build affordable homes for local people being priced out of tourist areas, Localis has said.
The think-tank has called on the Government to invest £100m over 10 years for the delivery of social rent homes in rural areas affected by tourism.
Rural tourist hotspots have been ‘overwhelmed’ by an ‘explosion’ of second homes and short-term lets through platforms like Airbnb, a new report by Localis says.
Without funding to support home building, the report warned, there would not be enough properties to house workers who maintain the rural tourism sector.
Report author Sandy Forsyth said: ‘While there is much positive work being done to guard rural communities against the negative impacts of over-tourism and the highly pressured housing market in England and Wales, much more is needed.
‘With the ongoing cost-of-living crisis more people than ever are in need of genuinely affordable options for housing.’
The chairman of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) people and places board, Cllr Kevin Bentley, said: ‘Affordable homes for local people are essential if we are to build on and maintain our vital tourism industry, particularly in rural areas where housing is even more at a premium.
‘Giving councils greater freedoms and flexibilities to be able to build these homes, backed by adequate resources, as this report recommends would revitalise communities in our most popular destinations while safeguarding local jobs and services.’
