A set of townhouses just a stone’s throw from Rhosneigr beach found it hard to draw in buyers when first built. Despite the idyllic location for enjoying sunsets over the sea, three decades ago, the small village on Anglesey’s west coast didn’t pull much interest from beyond its boundaries.
Back in 1996, Ynys Môn felt quite isolated, without internet and requiring hefty car journeys for most vacationers. It was a destination for family getaways with quaint charm, where an average home would set you back a mere £50,836.
Fast-forward to the present day, and Rhosneigr has undergone a major shift, now considered a prestigious locality favoured by the super-rich. According to analysis by the Express’s data unit, the increase in property values in the village over the past three decades is second only to London.
As of September 2024, you’ll find house prices have surged impressively to an average of £679,000. Recently, one of the seaside townhouses was snapped up in no time following keen buyer interest — a sale quickly closed by local estate agent Rhosneigr Property.
This trend isn’t unique; housing demand within the locale is soaring, with sea-view cottages being listed and sold within days, reports North Wales Live.
From her spot behind the till at the blue-painted Funsport surf shop, Rhosneigr local Nadine Moore does wonder what exactly it is about the place that has generated such enthusiasm. “I mean, it’s just like a small high street and some shops,” she said. “There’s not much here.”
Moore, along with many other villagers, acknowledges the area’s beauty, saying “apart from it being really beautiful”. The 30-year-old water sports aficionado felt an irresistible draw to Rhosneigr, a sentiment she wasn’t alone in.
Despite her global travels, she found herself compelled to settle in this quaint seaside village. “It’s got a vibe to it,” she explained. “Even travelling to Australia and New Zealand [they weren’t like Rhosneigr].”
Living in the village for five years, Nadine has found it’s become a place where you bump into influential people on the beach. “A lot of people come over and [their place in Rhosneigr] is not their only holiday home, they have a couple,” Moore says.
“You’ll meet like the owner of [a high street restaurant] or a housing corporation, every second person is usually quite a well-known figure.”
She likens the social fabric of the community to that depicted in the Netflix series Outer Banks, where affluent seasonal visitors mingle with the local working-class population. Nadine added: “It’s like a surf town, so you get a lot of individuals who come here for the kitesurfing and windsurfing. They are [part of a] core that has either grown up here or moved for the water sport scene.
“At the same time [the water] brings a lot of wealth over from places like Chester or Manchester, rich individuals who come over here because they get to launch a powerboat and use the water quite luxuriously. They have beautiful homes that overlook a beach destination.”
The problem with having a place that attracts super-rich people who own multiple secondary properties is that they often lie empty. This, unsurprisingly, makes some of the full-time residents unhappy.
“The number of second homes is always an issue because the village in the winter is very quiet and some of the small businesses have closed down,” says local councillor Derek Browne. “Generally people are not happy about it because it’s pricing local and young people out of the market.”
In 2023, the Welsh Language Society attributed the decline in Welsh speakers in Rhosneigr to the proliferation of second homes, with only 27% of the population speaking the native dialect – a stark contrast to neighbouring towns and one of the lowest percentages on Anglesey.
“Rhoseignr [is] the epicentre of the second homes crisis, a symptom of the wider failure of the free market on housing to fulfil its purpose in providing adequate, affordable homes for local people,” the Society reported to North Wales Live. Following these grievances, the Welsh government granted new powers to local authorities to impose up to a 300% premium on second homes.
On Anglesey, the council has implemented a 100% premium on top of the standard council tax, resulting in a total 200% premium.
Councillor Browne has pointed out that despite the legislation leading to homes being sold, the buyers are not locals. This is partly due to the high prices and also because of the surge in remote working during the Covid pandemic, which has seen people from across Britain choosing places like Rhosneigr as their primary residence.
Recent clients of local estate agent Rhosneigr Property include a London-based family who can now live on Anglesey thanks to flexible work arrangements. The company’s owner, Daniel Fernandes, personally understands the appeal of relocating.
Fernandes, whose wife from Cheshire used to holiday in the village as a child, fell in love with the Rhosneigr lifestyle when he first visited his in-laws who had retired there. “The weather was stunning and when I saw the bay with the waves rolling in I was just in awe.
“Over the weekend I went to the bars and felt the buzz. We went that evening to a family barbecue and it was just like stepping into a different world.”
In terms of skyrocketing house prices, it’s indeed a different world compared to even some of Britain’s most desirable postcodes.