People enjoying the hot weather at Blakeney Quay.
PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY
Sabah Meddings
Friday, March 14, 2014
12:10 PM
With its freshwater marshes, far- reaching views and strong community spirit, it is no surprise that Blakeney has become a destination for both holidaymakers and homeowners.
#NorfolkIs Blakeney. Twitter photo: Mark R (@Markwr88)
It has become known as a tourist hot-spot and the north Norfolk village has been recognised in The Sunday Times’ annual 101 Best Places to Live supplement, which lists the UK’s best home locations.
The list featured 11 East Anglian towns and villages, which were chosen for their quality of life, community spirit, good local shops and outdoor spaces.
Blakeney Parish Council chairman Tony Faulkner said he was not surprised by the news, as the village was a fantastic place to both live and visit.
He said: “It is so incredibly good here for having an immense number of activities going on.
“Any interest you have, you will find it here.”
James Player, 29, director of the Blakeney Cottage Company, which offers self-catering holidays, said: “It is stunning, there is nowhere really like it in the UK.
“When you are walking down the high street you can see the view of Blakeney Channel going out.”
But with the area a popular second home and retirement destination, house prices have crept up, making it more difficult for locals to buy. The Blakeney Neighbourhood Housing Society was founded in 1946 to offer affordable housing for tenants with a local birth tie.
It now owns 39 houses and cottages in Blakeney and the neighbouring villages.
Paul Cowell, 46, a chef, lives in a housing society home in Blakeney’s high street with his partner Amanda Sayers, 46.
He said: “I was fortunate enough to fall in love with a person who lives in this place.
“But I don’t think local people can afford to live here – the society is a lifeline for those people.”
Lal Wright, the society’s secretary, said it aimed to make housing available for local people.
She said: “It is a shame houses have become so expensive that people cannot afford to buy them. A one-up-one-down cottage would cost £200,000.
“We gave a local person a house in the last six months and we had 11 people on the waiting list.”
Bury St Edmunds, East Bergholt, Framlingham and Orford in Suffolk also featured in The Sunday Times’ list, which will be published on March 16.
Are you proud of your village? Write to EDPletters@archant.co.uk giving your full name and address details.
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10 comments
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Keep them in North Norfolk and the Broads, they wont like real Norfolk.No street lights, Hens. Church clocks chiming No pavements or playgrounds etc.
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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the problem with these lists is they drive up property prices, to such an extent that the real local can no longer afford to buy or live in their own towns and villages. you only have to look at any towns between Holt and Hunstanton to see this, and its now creeping towards Cromer and further inland as well soon none of us will be able to afford to live here.
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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John for the same reason that Blakeney is on it-the number of Sunday Times reading Second homers.Nothing in the EDP article indicates that full time Blakeney residents have anything to do with the results of the survey. I imagine the same applies to Unthank Road -plenty of Sunday Times reading UEA staff etc. Same when they run best beach- always the places media luvvies have heard of-which means we can’t get a parking spot when we fancy a paddle The secret is to close ranks and not let the secret of our nice places leak out-if we can just confine them to the North Norfolk coast and make out everywhere else is chavvy bungalow Bill land or populated by straw chewing locals smelling of cows or pigs with binder twine holding up their trousers we might be able to enjoy our county in peace.
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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As a Norfolk boy now retired and living in Tennessee I look forward immensely to my annual return to my old stomping grounds and think that Sunny Hunny old or new and Wells should also be on the list. In fact my worry is that incomers won’t be welcome soon and I will loose my roots.
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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“There is nowhere really like it in the UK.” Does James Player ever move out of Blakeney? There are equally attractive places all,over the UK. I lived in Blakeney for 18 years so know what I’m talking about. Yes, it’s very pleasant but there are other lovely places around.
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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Why has Great Yarmouth been left off?
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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We should be telling the world that Norfolk is a terrible place to live in, do we really need to attract anymore incomers? There is a well known tale of Norfolk being the breadbasket of England, I’m sure the locals know the rest of it!!!
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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We should be telling the world that Norfolk is a terrible place to live in, do we really need to attract anymore incomers? There is a well known tale of Norfolk being the breadbasket of England, I’m sure the locals know the rest of it!!!
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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We should be telling the world that Norfolk is a terrible place to live in, do we really need to attract anymore incomers? There is a well known tale of Norfolk being the breadbasket of England, I’m sure the locals know the rest of it!!!
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Report this commentFriday, March 14, 2014
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Bodham is a glaring omission from the list
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