WITH its pretty harbour, Tudor castle and Blue Flag beach, it’s perhaps surprising that Falmouth has been voted the most depressing place to live in the UK.
Satirical website iLiveHere.co.uk, voted for by the public on social media, has awarded the dubious award to a Cornish town.
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Falmouth has been named the most depressing place to live in the UKCredit: Apex
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One of the town’s shops is boarded up Credit: Apex
The iLiveHere team admitted: “We know absolutely nothing about Falmouth. We Googled it, it looks picturesque, but we’re sure it’s a trafficked facade, and who are we to question the wisdom of the crowd?”
While tourists are mostly confused by the award, local residents are less surprised, and resident Joe Trengove (23) blames it on the “window dressing effect”.
“I can see why it’s been voted the most depressing city in the UK,” he told The Sun when we visited this week.
“Falmouth has a bit of a window dressing effect – it looks nice, but it has its problems.
“Because we have a big student culture down here, we have a lot of work in the clubs and bars at night, but we don’t have a lot of work during the day.
“There are things like the Maritime Museum Center which runs activities for young children, but apart from that there isn’t much enrichment outside of school and college.
“It’s hard to get a job here – there’s not a lot of employment in Falmouth because most of the shops are small independent businesses and there’s also a lot of shops closing down.
“I believe that drugs affect the community here as well, but just as much as anywhere else in Cornwall.”
Falmouth has a population of 22,000 people and is popular with celebrities including Tess Daly and Vernon Kay, who holiday there.
Comedian David Baddiel and Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson live nearby and are regularly seen in town, while Dawn French has been chancellor of Falmouth University, formerly Falmouth School of Art, since 1994 and lives an hour’s drive east, near Fowey.
Why the UK coast went from boom to bust leaving towns like Blackpool and Skegness in trouble
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While tourists are mostly confused by the prize, locals are less surprised Credit: Apex
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Locals the Sun spoke to told how independent businesses are struggling in the cityCredit: Apex
Darren Wallis, 35, who runs family business KW and Sons car repair garage on Avenue Road, agreed the town had fundamental problems and cited a lack of available housing.
“Falmouth has changed drastically over the years, leaving people struggling to buy homes in their own town,” he said.
“Part of the reason for this is that wealthier parents of students who need to live here would come down and buy a property for their children to stay in, planning to rent it out later, so the prices have gone up.
It’s hard to get a job here – there isn’t much employment in Falmouth as most of the shops are small independent businesses and there are also a lot of shops closing down
Joe Trengove, local resident
“I tried to buy my first home last year at £300,000 for a three-bed, as we have two children, but the moment we put it up we were told it was now £340,000.
“That’s funny. In the end, we found somewhere through the housing association.”
Falmouth’s main shopping street smells of exotic food and is lined with boutique-style independent shops and cafes, offering everything from vegan to exotic fare.
But several units lie empty, their windows boarded up.
Falmouth in numbers
FALMOUTH is in the 10 most dangerous small towns in Cornwall and in the 20 most dangerous out of 212 towns, villages and cities in Cornwall.
Falmouth’s overall crime rate in 2022 was 48 crimes per 1,000 people – higher than the county average of 40 per 1,000 residents.
The most common crimes in Falmouth are violence and sexual offences, with 496 offenses recorded during 2022.
In May 2021, Falmouth had a string of burglaries; seven incidents were reported successively in one month. In July 2021, a peak of nine drug-related crimes was recorded in the area.
Almost a quarter (21.2 per cent) of people in Falmouth and Truro are economically inactive, compared to 19 per cent in the South West.
Meanwhile, there were 45 drug-related deaths in Cornwall in 2022 – the highest recorded in a single year – and the council is predicting more than 50 in 2023.
Cornwall has an estimated 2,562 people addicted to heroin and crack cocaine, of whom 54.3 percent are in treatment.
‘at a price’
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Amy Bayes highlighted the problems with the Falmouth property marketCredit: Apex
Amy Bayes, 33, owns Dig and Delve in Swanpool Street, a quirky second-hand shop where she started working as a saleswoman ten years ago.
It was bustling with students on the day The Sun visited.
She said: “I love Falmouth, I always have. My family used to come with me in the summer and it has always been my dream to live here.
“A lot has changed in the ten years I’ve been here. From December to January, you might close up shop, but as more students have come in and so many independent businesses have opened, it’s booming compared to how it used to be.
“The main issue that would make people see it as depressed is the real estate market. For many people, buyers of second homes have meant that local people have been priced out, and prices are rising everywhere.
The main issue that would make people see it as depressed is the real estate market. For many people, buyers of second homes meant that local people were priced out
Amy Bayes, local business owner
“The rental market is crazy – you’re talking thousands for a one-bedroom, so it’s out of reach for people.”
The average house price in the west Cornwall town, which has the third largest natural harbor in the world and is home to Henry VIII’s Pendennis Castle, is £400,000.
Amy added: “I’ve been lucky enough to get a mortgage in the last few years and it’s half what I’ve been paying in rent.
“I have friends, couples my age, who are on double incomes and quite decently paid – wages are low in Cornwall – and they can’t afford to get on the housing ladder or save enough to buy a house.
“Many people choose to stay in Falmouth to rent because they like it here, but eventually they will have to move out.
“If you were born here and your family is from here but you can’t afford to buy, I can see why that would make people feel really discouraged and angry.
“I know a lot of people, especially the older generation, are angry about the situation – but I still love having a job here.”
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Old hotel left to rot in Falmouth Credit: Apex
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Andy Whiteley was surprised by the award but believes there is a lack of employment opportunities Credit: Apex
Retired teacher and newcomer Andy Whiteley, 59, moved to Falmouth six months ago and was shocked to hear of his new ‘depressing’ title.
“My wife and I have moved to Truro and come to Falmouth once a week to babysit our grandchild,” he said.
“I’m very surprised that it was called depressing. There are other places you could call that, but we are outsiders and find the people really nice. You can start a conversation with anyone, so I don’t find it depressing at all here.
“The downsides are the traffic to this road on the A30 where they are doing improvements, especially during the summer holidays, but when it is finished it should be better.
“There could be better opportunities for employment. Since commercial pollock fishing has been banned, I think it has had a huge impact on that industry with the loss of jobs.
“But as a place we think it’s a very happy place to live, as well as a beautiful one.”
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Visitor Mark Brown defended the town, praising its pubs and beautiful views Credit: Apex
Tourist Mark Brown, 51, from Reading, was walking towards the harbor through Discovery Quay – home to branches of Pizza Express, sportswear store Musto and Tesco Express.
He said: “I think calling it the most depressing place in the country is a load of old rubbish.
“It has fantastic pubs, fantastic views and lots of really nice places nearby.
“We’ve been to the castle, it’s great, and the city is just a nice place to be.
“I don’t understand why people say it’s depressing. I’m a tourist, obviously I don’t live here, so I don’t see another perspective, but I came once with my dad and remembered it was nice, which is one of the reasons why I came back.
“The only downside I can see is that it takes a while to get anywhere, as it’s so far, so it’s a bit of a journey – but that’s Cornwall.”
Second place on iLiveHere’s list of the UK’s most depressed cities, just 27 votes short of Falmouth, was previous winner Peterborough in Cambridgeshire.
The Sun has approached Falmouth Town Council and Cornwall County Council for comment.
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Falmouth has a population of 22,000 Credit: Apex
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During our visit to The Sun we found areas where people were litteringCredit: Apex
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Resident Joe Trengove blames the ‘window dressing effect’Credit: Apex
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