Strom Center Blog

Second Homes – The Economic Impact on Rural Communities

There is concern in some quarters that second homes have a negative impact on the economy of rural communities. In some parts of the UK, local strength of feeling about this has occasionally erupted into arson, for example, with a number of second homes being burned down in Wales.
 
The main issues that create controversy are twofold. Firstly, there is the argument that second home owners drive up prices in rural areas, pushing them out of the reach of local people and exacerbating the problem that there is not enough affordable housing for low income local families. This is clearly an area that needs a balanced approach and well thought out strategy to help solve this very real issue.
 
The second common concern is that second houses are unoccupied for a large part of the year and this deprives local businesses of potential custom, sometimes badly affecting their viability.

Another aspect of this is that local schools can become short of children, sometimes forcing local schools to close. Indeed, on some areas very popular with second home owners, the area can feel like a ghost town out of season, without the community vitality and vibrant local economy that characterises some other rural areas.
 
The problems seem to be focused on highly localised rural and coastal areas, the kind of attractive areas that are popular for second homes. For example, in North Cornwall, one in three properties is thought to be a second home or holiday home,
 
In general, the more remote rural areas have the greatest concentrations of second homes as a proportion of all the housing stock, intensifying the problem of creating a sustainable and robust local community with a thriving local economy..  
 
Although second and holiday homes contribute to an uplift in property prices in rural areas, it is important not to view their economic impact in isolation from other factors contributing to changes within rural communities and especially pressures on local housing markets from other groups such as commuters, retirees, or people wanting a lifestyle change. 
 
One way that second home owners can help avoid any negative economic impacts on the local community is to maximise the extent to which the second home does not stand empty.
 
By renting  a second home out as a holiday home for part of the year, when it is not in use by the owner’s family, it ensures that money is brought into the local economy as the family renting the holiday home will inevitably spend money in the local shops, restaurants and at local attractions. This is clearly a positive impact on the local economy and far better for the local community than having a second home stand empty. 
 
Yet many owners of second homes resist renting out their home to holidaymakers.
There are a wide variety of reasons for this. It is often not as simple as whether or not the owner of a second home would like to make a profitable return on their property. 
 
 Some second home owners simply do not want strangers in their home and this is a strongly felt emotion they are not likely to overcome.
 
Others do not want to get involved in what they see as complex property management issues, involving a lot of work and practical difficulty. For these owners, the answer is often to hire a holiday homes services specialist that can take away the hassle and arrange everything on their behalf, making the whole process of renting out a holiday home very straightforward.
 
If a holiday homes services specialist is engaged, they can arrange all aspects of property management, cleaning services and key holder services as well as sometimes a holiday concierge service. This means that the second home owner can benefit from a stream of income from the property, all the gain without the pain.
 
In addition, the impact on the local economy is positive as the holiday home rentals bring money into the local shops, restaurants and attractions as well as necessitating the employment of local trades people, such as plumbers, electricians, painters and carpenters.
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The impacts, both positive and negative, of second homes and holiday homes touch on a diverse range of factors that affect the sustainability of rural communities. 
 
One thing is clear – renting out a second home as a holiday home has a more positive impact on the local economy than leaving it standing empty for long periods.

Resources Of Rural Sewage Treatment Technology Alternatives Compared
Abstract: Rural Sewage Treatment process, characteristics and economic applicability, that rural areas should be based on different terrain, climate, water, economic level, etc., select the applicable cost-effective sewage treatment.

Keywords: rural sewage; Sewage Treatment ; Economic practicality

As China’s rapid economic development and rising living standards in rural areas, but cities, due to weak economic foundation and a weak foundation Environment Potential safety problems and serious problems, especially in rural agglomerations of sewage pollution problems caused by increasingly severe. 2002 statistics show that rural domestic sewage on emissions reached 3.205 million t, causing rivers, reservoirs pollution affect villagers living environment, a serious threat to the health of farmers. Environmental pollution caused by domestic sewage in rural areas is not only a rural water source potential security risks, but also aggravated the crisis of fresh water resources, farmland irrigation, lack of effective protection to endanger the survival and development of farmers.

1 present for rural sewage treatment methods

1.1 algal pond Algal pond (HighRateAlgaePond, HRAP) is from the University of California, Berkeley, Professor Oswald and development, testing process shown in Figure 1. Technology algal pond technology has been widely used abroad, such as Israel, Morocco, France, the United States, South Africa, Brazil, Belgium, Germany, New Zealand, and China still remain in the research phase. Tongji University of the Taihu Lake Region High rate algae pond treatment effects of domestic sewage in rural areas were studied, the results show that the rural areas of Taihu Lake water quality of sewage affected by seasonal changes in large, autumn and winter than in summer the concentration of organic matter to 4 times 3 times; High rate algae pond algae symbiotic bacteria exists in the system, so that higher concentrations of dissolved oxygen within the pond (to maintain aerobic conditions), but there are cyclical changes in pH value; on the average COD removal rate of up to 70%, ammonia mainly through nitrification removed, the removal rate> 90%, primarily through the precipitation of phosphate removal, the removal rate was 50%. Li Xudong, etc. dealing with algal pond system of wastewater in rural areas in Taihu Lake region, CODcr the average removal rate of 70%, and ammonia (NH3 and TN), the average removal rate of up to 93% phosphorus removal rate was 55%; Chen Peng with algal pond treatment of municipal sewage, to obtain a stable treatment effect: CODcr, BOD5, NH3, TN and TP removal rates average 75%, 60%, 91.6% and 50%.

Algal pond compared with the traditional lagoon, both low operation cost, maintenance and simple, but also to overcome the traditional lagoon stay too long, covers an area of large, etc, in dealing with rural and small town water has broad application prospects. In the Taihu Lake area has established algal pond systems for treating domestic sewage in Taihu Basin Study.

1.2 Biofilter Biological filter (BiologicalAeratedFilter, BAF) is a relatively new treatment technology in Europe and the United States and Japan have been widely used in our study are also increasing in size. The biggest feature is the collection of biological oxidation and retention of suspended solids in one, saving up settling tank, anaerobic hydrolysis? High load biological filter treatment system set the primary sedimentation tanks, aeration tanks, sludge return facilities and facilities equal to oxygen 1, greatly simplifies the treatment process. Operation and management of the process is very convenient and can withstand strong impact load, for sewage treatment in rural China has a special significance. The study showed that acidification? High load biological filter treatment system COD removal as high as 75% ~ 85%, BOD removal rate as high as 85% ~ 95%, SS removal rate as high as 85% to 95%. Biological filter process shown in Figure 2.

1.3 Wetlands Wetland ecosystems, the use of artificial water dilution within the multi-stage biological degradation to remove or reduce pollutants in water method. Widely used in Europe and America wetland systems for treating town sewage areas and small communities, achieved remarkable results. As a new type of artificial wetland ecological wastewater treatment technology with low investment and operating costs, impact load capacity, treatment efficiency and stability, good water quality, aquatic plants have some economic value, and many other advantages. For rural Sewage Treatment The main subsurface flow constructed wetlands. Constructed wetland treatment process shown in Figure 3.

Qinghua Liu Chaoxiang other surface flow and subsurface flow type of two Wetlands with low concentration of the Dianchi Lake area of rural sewage treatment results showed that at high hydraulic loading (30cm / d) conditions, the undercurrent style body on the bed COD, TN, NH +4- N, and TP removal rates were 70.6%, 60.6%, 80.9% and 66.0%, body surface flow beds were 63.1%, 61.2%, 90.2% and 60.2%.

1.4 buried without power the sewage treatment plant

Into the first digestion sewage pond effluent in the settlement of suspended matter down into the sludge, sludge through a certain time natural fermentation, are degrading organic matter. Process shown in Figure 4. Dongsheng Shen, Zhejiang University and other uses within the hollow spherical charge Filler Underground pipeline or anaerobic baffled reactor for the processing equipment, through small scale, pilot and practical application results show that: 1 day in the hydraulic retention time and temperature conditions, UUAR for rural domestic sewage COD, BOD5, SS, TN, TP, and coliform bacteria, total bacteria and Ascaris eggs, the average removal rates reached 66% ~ 68.3%, 70% and 76.8%, 80% and 90.2%, 18% ~ 23.0%, 33% ~ 35.2 %, 95% to 99.8%, 37% ~ 82.9% and 78.7% to 100%, the effluent quality and stability up to the national emission standards.