ABSTRACT
The environmental impacts of second homes usually fit into one of three categories. The first of these is the impact of growth in the leisure industry generally, involving increasing pressure on environmentally sensitive areas and traffic congestion associated with an increasing number of people travelling into importing regions annually. Secondly, there is the concern over increased development pressure in the countryside as the demand for new-build second homes rises and thirdly, there is the environmental and landscape impact that restoration and conversion work has on the rural housing stock. Like the economic concerns, the environmental aspect of second home growth is closely linked to the types of dwellings used for this purpose. Perhaps the most controversial issue surrounding the expansion in second home ownership in recent years has been the social effect that this growth has had on importing regions and on particular rural communities.
