St Ives residents decide if they should stop building holiday homes

It's been nicknamed Kensington-on-Sea because of the number of rich holidaymakers who own houses there - but now of St Ives is getting its own say on the number of holiday homes in the town.

A referendum is taking place in St Ives this week to decide whether the town should stop building homes for holidaymakers.

One in four homes in St Ives are second homes belonging to people who don't live there full-time and locals say they're being priced out of the market.

Over 12,000 residents will go to the polls to vote in a referendum to restrict second home ownership on Thursday.

If the vote's passed any new housing projects will only get planning permission if they're sold to people who live in St Ives.

Around one and a half million people own second homes in England and Wales, with 26 thousand in Cornwall and Devon.

THE REFERENDUM IN NUMBERS

Former Mayor Harry Issacs thinks it's a great idea.

But for some, it's too little too late as these residents told us.

This initiative isn't the first - Lynton and Lynmouth banned any new second homes being built in 2013.

But the question for St Ives is whether having a limit will solve the problem.