'Build well and build to last'
If YOU you want a solution maybe you should ask an expert. So we put TV property presenter Sarah Beeny, probably most famous for Property Ladder but with a string of shows behind her, to the test when she appeared at the Literary Festival.
You probably remember the plot of land on the west coast which featured our front page last week. With a derelict shack on it. How much, we asked? £1.5m. was the (correct) response.
But, given the proviso that after just a few hours in the island and knowing nothing of its property market, she shared some other useful insights. For example – what does ‘rows and rows of million-pound houses’ do for ordinary islanders? And how about this fix? Relaxing rules around the sub-division of larger houses – an idea raised in the parish consultation for the future of St Peter’s, in fact – leading to multi-generational living for families.
It’s a trend that’s already happening – children staying at home longer, or fledglings returning to the nest (sometimes with child) following a separation and priced out of the market. ‘The younger family can support the old person, the old person can do the childcare. You get more community and everyone’s a winner.’
And many people would be reassured that she prefers traditional to modern architecture too – on the island’s west coast or anywhere. ‘Build well and build to last,’ she said.