Parish council chief in posh UK town dubbed 'Chelsea on Sea' quits in second homes row

Dennis Clark has resigned aft furious backlash from locals (Image: SWNS)

The caput of a parish assembly successful a colony dubbed' Chelsea connected Sea' who controversially claimed determination was 'genuine hatred' for 2nd location owners successful the country has resigned.

Dennis Clark, 77, faced calls to measurement down past twelvemonth and was refused introduction to immoderate businesses successful Burnham Market, Norfolk, past twelvemonth pursuing comments successful helium made successful a newspaper.

Today the retired lipid idiosyncratic confirmed helium had stepped down arsenic president of the town's parish council. The Georgian municipality is nicknamed Chelsea-on-Sea locally due to the fact that of the precocious fig of properties owned by Londoners.

Mr Clark initially stood his crushed implicit his comments, saying helium would not beryllium "bullied."

Now parish assembly minutes uncover his resignation, stating chap councillor Keith Morris has been elected arsenic the council's caller chairman.

When contacted, Mr Clark confirmed helium had stood down, adding: "I felt I'd travel to the extremity of my term." But helium declined to elaborate further connected his reasons.

Mr Clark made his remarks successful an interrogation with the nationalist insubstantial astir the interaction of 2nd homes connected the area, which has 1 of the UK's highest concentrations of specified properties.

Burnham Market is dubbed 'Chelsea connected Sea' (Image: SWNS)

He said: “They person turned our beauteous colony into thing resembling Center Parcs.

“None of the radical who enactment successful the colony tin spend to unrecorded here, we don’t person a colony cricket oregon shot squad immoderate more.

"Obviously traders successful the colony payment massively, and property agents marque a fortune, but determination is besides a batch of anger.”

Mr Clark had antecedently said calls for his resignation were a 'witch hunt' and helium would not resign arsenic helium had 'done thing wrong'.

Second homes person go a flashpoint successful the Burnhams and on the Norfolk coast, wherever astir fractional of properties are present fastener and leaves oregon vacation lets.

Locals fearfulness the roar successful 2nd homes and vacation lets has driven up location prices, caused a shortage of rented properties and "hollowed-out" communities.

Burnham Market is 1 of a fig of communities which person voted to follow neighbourhood plans stipulating immoderate caller spot indispensable beryllium a main residence, wherever idiosyncratic lives full-time.

Speaking past year, concern owners successful Burnham claimed Mr Clark had made "a fuss retired of nothing" successful the Georgian village.

One - who wanted to stay anonymous - said: "Second location owners and particularly the vacation lets bring successful a batch of commercialized to america particularly successful the summertime clip - without it we mightiness not beryllium here."

"I person ne'er erstwhile had an contented with them and portion it mightiness beryllium the lawsuit that a number dislike them, everyone I person spoken to is much than blessed to accommodate them."

Tim Roberts, proprietor of NoTwenty9 edifice and 3 shops successful Burnham, had called for Mr Clark to resign and described the comments arsenic "incendiary and uncalled for".