The UK’s ‘worst’ seaside town that’s now ‘millionaire’s row’ with £1m houses

It’s fair to say Skegness hasn’t always had the most prestigious reputation.

Once a popular seaside holiday destination for families up and down the country and home to the UK’s first Butlin’s, the time hasn’t been kind to the coastal Lincolnshire town, which has gained an unfavourable reputation for being run-down and generally a bit tired.

In fairness, it’s a reputation locals in ‘Skeggy’ have cheerfully embraced, with a mock ‘Welcome to Skeg Vegas’ sign set up on the outskirts of the town.

In 2017, the travel website Destination Tips ranked Skegness among North Korea and Syria as one of the worst places in the whole world for a holiday, describing the town as a “pile of dirt”.

“Once thought of as a quaint seaside town in northern England, Skegness is now a pile of dirt bordering the North Sea with a run-down amusement park idly resting on the land,” they said.

Speaking at the time, then-mayor Dick Edginton branded the report “absolutely offensive”.

“There seems to be certain people who seem to do nothing but denigrate British seaside resorts,” he said. “Skegness is one of the best resorts in the country and has the highest visitor numbers. There are record levels of investment in the resort at the moment, which shows confidence in business from both local and national companies.

“How anyone can compare Skegness to North Korea – one of the most oppressive regimes – is absolutely offensive.”

But the town’s fortunes could be about to change, with plans in place for a £4 billion, 11-mile transport link across the Wash. This would link Lincolnshire directly to Norfolk, including a road, railway line, tidal barrage, hydroelectric power plant, and offshore container port.

The project, named Centre Port, would cut journey times between Lincolnshire and their generally more affluent neighbours to the south from around an hour and a half to just 20 minutes. This could provide a vital shot in the arm for Skegness – which elected Reform Party deputy leader Richard Tice as its MP in last year’s General Election – with the area’s housing market already on the up.

While the average house price in the town, according to rightmove, is currently £196,754, some estate agents are predicting house prices could increase by as much as 40% if the project goes ahead. And some property prices have already topped £1 million.

Two properties in Mill Lane, on the northern edge of the town, are currently on the market for more than £1 million. One with five bedrooms is asking for £1,225,000, while another with eight bedrooms is up for £1,400,000.

There’s also a five-bedroom house in Burgh Le Marsh, slightly out of the town, on the market for £1,200,000.

Meanwhile, a five-acre patch of land in Seacroft, south of Skegness, is up for sale for £1 million – with planning permission in place for six luxury homes, which themselves could cost upwards of £1 million.

A search on Rightmove for properties with price tags of more than £500,000 also brings up a healthy number of properties.

Carl Smith, of Skegness estate agent HomeMove, told MailOnline: “We could easily see an increase in prices of 30 to 40% – but it could be more than that – this place has huge potential and people and businesses are beginning to see it.”