Dr Alex outside the holiday lets he’s renovating in Pembrokeshire
(Picture: Alex George)Poor Dr Alex George. Having spent summer 2018 as Public Enemy No. 1 (at least among my Love Island-watching circle) he managed a pandemic pivot into vaccine myth-busting NHS frontline hero.
The rehabilitation was brief. Dr Alex has reignited a fierce holiday homes debate after posting about buying four cottages in Pembrokeshire, promising to document his “renovation journey” on a new Instagram account. He also said he hoped to offer one of the homes to Ukrainian refugees.
So fraught is the issue surrounding holiday lets, the post was flooded with angry, frustrated comments accusing the A&E doctor/TV presenter of taking homes away from locals in the Welsh beauty spot.
Love him or loathe him, it seems a little unfair to lay the entire blame for Wales’s affordable housing crisis at Dr Alex’s feet. If his holiday lets plan works out, the former Love Island contestant will be profiting completely legally from properties he owns, as well as housing people in need.
He will also be catering to an avid market of holidaymakers, many of whom favour the cost-efficiency, flexibility and informality of self-catering accommodation over hotels and will be spending money in local shops, pubs and restaurants.
This is not just an issue in rural Wales – short lets analyst AirDNA forecasts a boom in city breakers this year. Londoners in trendy neighbourhoods should ready themselves once more for the dawn chorus of wheelie suitcase-wielding Airbnb guests.
But while the owners of city centre flats and country cottages may be a handy focal point for local fury, it’s a distraction from the structures that cause the problem.
New home building and investment in social housing would help make homes more affordable, although it’s unlikely to be popular in beauty spots.
Shifting the balance so short lets are no longer more profitable and less hassle than long-term rentals is another way local governments are trying to fix the problem, via taxation and planning rules.
After all, Love Island can be blamed for many social ills, but the holiday home conundrum is not one of them.
