Field housing scheme sparks language fears
Robert Harries reports on the controversy over a field that threatens to turn a majority Welsh village into an English-speaking one...
THERE are fears that the Welsh language could be ripped out of a small village after plans for a new housing development in a field were given the go-ahead.
Plans for 33 new homes to be built on land next to the A525 in Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch in Denbighshire have been submitted to the local council – land which is a stone’s throw from the site of 15 other new homes which are already under construction.
The proposals were given the green light at a planning committee meeting yesterday morning, even though concerns have been raised that an influx of new residents in the village, which has a current population of just over 1,800 people, will damage the Welsh-speaking community.
The village itself is known as something of a Welsh stronghold, with more than half its inhabitants able to speak the language.
Between 2001 and 2011, there was a drop of 9% in the number of Welsh-speakers in the area.
But according to the 2011 census, 50.03% of residents aged three or over still used Welsh as their main language. The new housing development will see that reduced, it is claimed, to 49%, tipping the balance from a Welsh-speaking perspective from a majority to a minority for the first time.
At yesterday’s planning committee, 11 voted in favour, seven voted against, while one committee member abstained when asked to vote on plans that will see 14 semi-detached dwellings, seven detached dwellings, six apartments and six-unit terrace dwellings built on the field.
One councillor who spoke against the plans at the meeting is Joe Welch, chairman of the planning committee at Denbighshire council.
“This area is one of a few in Wales that has more than 50% of its residents speaking regularly in Welsh.
“The company that submitted the plans has admitted that the number of Welsh-speakers is going to go down in Llanrhaeadr – they say the figure will go down from 50.03% to just over 49%. It’s only a 1% decrease but in my opinion it is a crucial 1%.
“More consideration should be given to the Welsh language to ensure that this majority is kept, and of course one of the best ways of getting more Welshspeakers is through education, and the local primary school – Ysgol Bro Cinmeirch – is already nearly full, so it will not be able to accommodate an influx of new pupils. That means that children living in the village will have to go to school elsewhere, so whether that is to be taught in the medium of Welsh or English, they will be taught outside the community.
“A 1% drop may not seem huge; if it was 75% going down to 74%, that would still be a concern, but from over 50% to under 50% means a majority-Welshspeaking village becomes a minority-Welsh-speaking village.”
There are also concerns beyond the potential detrimental effect the 33 new houses could have on the Welsh language, as one resident explains.
“I live in the middle of the village and near to where the new houses are going to be built,” said Elfed Williams, chairman of the local community council.
“This idea has proved to be very unpopular here. It went in front of the community council and the opposition was unanimous. On top of that, a number of other residents have opposed the plan.
“There are 15 houses already under construction across the road, meaning that there will be almost 50 new homes in the village within a few years, all off the A525, which is a main trunk road through the Clywd area.
“It’s already a really busy road, especially in the morning and between 4pm and 5.30pm, and this new development means there will be about five entrances onto the road within about 300 or 400 yards, and there have already been a number of accidents on the road since I’ve lived here.”
Cadnant Planning, who submitted the planning application on behalf of the landowner, say affordable housing will form part of the development, and that a number of different properties will be available at the site which will provide for the needs of the local community.
Sioned Edwards, from Cadnant, told the BBC: “It’s important to note that between 2001 and 2011 the population of Llanrhaeadr reduced.
“Population growth is a part of creating prosperity in villages and communities that are sustainable. Therefore we have to accept that there is a need to develop houses that will provide for young people.”