Having lived in St Ives since 1994, I can say – with some sadness – that Tanya Gold paints a pretty recognisable picture of the way this beautiful town is buckling under the pressures of high-value overtourism and the relentless squeeze on what’s available for locals – the foundations, in other words, of sustainable community life (‘It’s just a rich man’s playground now’: how St Ives became patient zero of British overtourism, 10 August). If you’re struggling to find a long-term residential let, let alone pay the rent, you’re not going to be able to cheer yourself up with a £29 seafood linguine from what was once an affordable local cafe.
What Gold doesn’t say is that local government has a crucial role to play in enabling the full‑time residents of St Ives to carry on our daily lives – to bring up families, work and contribute to the community. Or so you’d think. But the terror of deterring tourists by making it, say, even slightly more difficult or expensive to drive into St Ives is leading to decisions that, once again, put locals under the cosh.
