45 Gwynedd councillors call for ‘urgent’ stop to new housing
CALLS have been made for house-building in a North Wales county to stop for a sustained period of time in a bid to tackle the housing crisis.
The majority of Gwynedd councillors (47 of the 65 who are not members of the Cabinet) from across the political spectrum have signed a letter calling for a stop to house-building in the county until two conditions are met.
In a letter to the Cabinet, the councillors have called for a moratorium on house-building until, firstly, a comprehensive local housing needs survey is undertaken and, secondly, until the effects of existing housing estates on the Welsh language are measured.
A call for Gwynedd to be designated a “linguistically sensitive county” where new builds and social housing tenancies in some areas are confined to local Welshspeaking inhabitants, is also included as part of the letter.
It comes after a unanimous decision was made in a Council meeting on June 28 to urgently review the contents of the Gwynedd and Anglesey Joint Local Development Plan that allocates land for 8,000 homes in the two council areas.
“It’s our duty as elected representatives to ensure that measures come into force in order to defend our communities and our language,” said Councillor Gruffydd Williams, who represents Nefyn on Gwynedd Council.
“As a result of the ongoing housing crisis this must be done as a matter of great urgency.”
Cllr Alwyn Gruffydd, who represents the Tremadog and Beddgelert areas on Gwynedd Council, said: “Our communities and language are being put under unprecedented pressure as homes are sold on the open market at prices far beyond the reach of local people.”
The letter to Gwynedd Cabinet lists up to 20 measures the councillors say can be brought into play without delay.
The Cabinet has 10 working days to respond.
Some of the other measures listed in the letter include the council purchasing empty and disused properties and allocating them to local people in Welsh speaking communities as well as adopting a Snowdonia National Park Authority policy that protects traditional houses and buildings from being demolished, rebuilt, or significantly refurbished.