The seaside town of Deal has been crowned the new Hackney-on-Sea for its quirky array of coffee shops, boutiques and trendy bars – and the influx of new residents from the capital.
But locals say there is a darker side to having so many people moving ‘Down from London‘, including skyrocketing house prices and strains on services.
Jeanette Franklin, 52, who has lived in Deal all her life, said: ‘For the locals it is a big problem because it has pushed them out of the market.
‘The wage isn’t the same here as it is for the Londoners so they’re better off, our youngsters, my son for example, couldn’t afford to buy a place here.
Her son Curtis Ferris, 29, said: ‘You can’t even afford to rent.
‘I used to live in Deal with my mum and dad, but then I couldn’t afford to have my own place, it’s too expensive.
‘Even for a cheap flat – for example, I rent a 2 bed in Ashford for £900 per month, but here you’re probably talking £1,200 – it’s a big increase.
He added: ‘There are a lot of Airbnbs.
The seaside town of Deal has been crowned the new Hackney-on-Sea
The town is known for its quirky array of coffee shops, boutiques and trendy bars
But, locals say there is a darker side to having so many people moving ‘Down from London’
‘DFLs also seem to be impacting the job market’, Curtis said: ‘I think because the people who work here have worked here for so long, opportunities don’t come up very often and are quite few and far between.
‘When new shops open, it does open up new opportunities but there’s not many of those.
‘A lot of the boutiques are opened up by Londoners and they get their own employees, maybe they even get their own people down from London.
He added: ‘The sewing shop went because the rent went up but it hasn’t been filled yet.’
Jeanette said: ‘That is the only negative, they have pushed up house prices and the housing that’s being built locally is all earmarked for London boroughs, and only a few are social housing.
‘So, again, it’s not really benefiting the locals.
‘Although we’ve had three new housing estates built there are no new schools, no new doctors, no new dentists so the infrastructure is not brilliant.
She added: ‘The factory shop and the sewing shop were pushed out because they put the rent up so high they had to go, but behind the factory shop by the toilets is a boutique owned by a down from London and she literally only opens Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
‘And her prices are so expensive I couldn’t shop there.’
Terry Barnsley, 70, has also lived in the town his whole life and has noticed the town change dramatically, he said: ‘The coffee shops, little wine bars and all that lot.
‘I’m not a businessman, but it has changed a bit.
‘House prices have shot up since the DFLs have come down – it doesn’t give the youngsters of this town any scope for getting a house.
‘Deposits are not viable for them, so they spend a lot more time living at home now.
‘The town has expanded obviously, with the amount of buildings going up, which does concern me, because it’s taken over viable farm land.
‘I have seen a few people down from London who are quite alright, but some are not.
‘I’ve seen online people saying the Londoners have brought new businesses to the town, but my main concern is house prices.
The Kent coastal town is known for its sprawling pier which is popular with anglers
Locals say that the average cost of a house has skyrocketed since the Londoners arrived
As a result, many local families are being priced out of the area
The grandfather added: ‘My kids find it hard to rent in Deal, my daughter has only just got a flat but all that is paid for by Universal Credit, and she then has to find an extra £400 because she’s paying £900 a month.
‘She has to have two bedrooms because she needs it for my granddaughter – it’s very tricky, it’s a very dark side.
‘Where I live, there was a development built by a London company and a lot of the people come from London and they’re paying £1,200 to £1,300 a month, it’s a lot of money – I don’t know how they can say that is affordable.’
Jo Little, 52, has lived in Kent for 30 years, and moved to the seaside town recently, she said: ‘Most of Kent is like that now – just Londoners.
‘I always look at it like, they all move outside of London, but they still work in London, so they want the London money but not the house prices.
‘I just feel it pushes all the costs up – the cost of living.
‘You go to London and no one speaks to you, you never know your neighbours, and that’s what it’s like here now.
She added: ‘There is not much housing in terms of renting now – my street for example is mainly holiday lets.
‘And there’s a house round the corner from me, Londoners, as a second home, but they’re never there.
‘Everywhere you go now in Kent I don’t feel it’s the same as it used to be.’
Crime in the area isn’t too much of a problem though, Jo said: ‘On the weekends there will be a punch up, but that’s been the way of it the whole time I’ve been here.
‘I don’t go on Facebook much because it annoys me, but I don’t see much that the crime has changed.
‘I do think Deal is still quiet compared to other places, but there’s nothing for kids to do anymore.’
Jo Little, 52, has lived in Kent for 30 years, and moved to the seaside town recently
Locals say the town has become almost unrecognisable from how it used to look
Louise Austen believes that the house prices are just unbelievable these days
David Robinson, 78, a retired lorry driver, has enjoyed watching the town grow, he said: ‘When you consider when I was a lad, I worked in the pits, we earned very little, but a lot of the Londoners earned a lot.
‘But, they move down to Kent, so that proves we’ve got something they love.
‘I think we’re very privileged in a lot of ways, we’re surrounded by the coastline, we’ve got the sea nearby, we’ve got France right nearby- five minutes and you’re in a whole different country.
‘And, not only that, the countryside is beautiful.
‘Getting away from the humdrum of London – it’s great when you’re young – but I wouldn’t want to live there now, it would be too much for me now.
‘People, wherever they come from, add something to the town – I sit here and talk to everyone and I always learn something.
But, the pensioner does have some concerns about the town, he said:
‘I’ll be honest, my fear is that the very thing we adore will be destroyed.
‘It’s like that song said ‘they destroyed paradise and put it in a parking lot’ – and I think that’s exactly true.’
Louise Austen, 69, has always called Deal home, said: ‘There are lots of little shops, especially towards the north end, that are quite unusual, which is nice.
‘It’s nice for people to have different options.
She added: ‘There have been massive changes – building the precincts, there was never that before, and all the bijou shops.
‘The shops belonging to local families are going down and down and down, which is a shame.
‘We’ve kept some, but not many – the rental for this is really expensive.
‘Prices are going up – the house prices are just unbelievable.
‘My daughter is struggling, she’s not going to be able to afford a house, that’s the unfair part.
‘The building work going on, it’s all for people who have money, the support for local people and first-time buyers is very little.
‘That’s the detrimental side – and the shops are expensive, the bijou shops.
Despite the high prices, many of the shops do not employ local people, the retired nurse said: ‘Youngsters here tend to work in the McDonalds, Burger King, Starbucks – and at the beach parlours.
‘They’ve been there forever and have always employed local people.
‘Some of the seafront places have gone, some have become up market.
‘I don’t like the change of it becoming more expensive – but I think that’s happening everywhere.’
Peter Catwright, 82, comes to Deal regularly from his home in next door Kingsdown, he said: ‘As a resident here for the last 20 years I don’t think more people is a good thing.
‘I come from the next village down, Kingsdown, and it is isolated from Deal.
‘But, there is development going on that I’m opposed to because they’re spreading and spreading and spreading, and eventually they will be part of this town.
‘I am totally against that.
‘If the government wants houses so badly, they should find somewhere to build a new town, not ruin a small seaside town.
‘You only have to go to Thanet to see what’s happened there, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, it’s all merged into one, and they want to do the same here.
He added: ‘Kingsdown is one of the last pretty little villages, totally separate from here, and the reason they’re developing it is because houses will sell better.
‘If you don’t want to destroy Deal, then people coming down from London are not a good thing.’