Councillors are calling for greater powers to control holiday homes

GREATER powers to control holiday homes is being requested of Welsh Government as Ceredigion councillors back finding a way of helping young people stay in their communities.

A Notice of Motion that Ceredigion Council calls on the Welsh Government to add a new clause to the Planning Act so that it is compulsory to make a planning application before obtaining the right to convert a residential home into a holiday home or a holiday let; adapt the policy framework to allow for maximum thresholds to be set with regard to the number of holiday homes in a given area and make it compulsory for second-home owners to ask for planning permission before turning a second home into a holiday business or an Airbnb business was approved at full council on Thursday.

Councillors raised wider issues including the authority’s own planning policy in the Local Development Plan, the idea of a tourism tax being explored by Welsh Government and the need for more houses to be built.

“There’s a wider problem than just holiday homes, we need to look at the LDP,” said Cllr Lyndon Lloyd.

Cllr Mark Strong, who proposed the motion, said a lack of available and affordable housing was an increasing issue in west Wales, adding: “I think it’s important that the communities don’t suffer and people that work here can afford to live here.”

Building more houses was not the only solution, he added, and local authorities needed Welsh Government to “listen to what we are saying very carefully and take action”.

“Thousands of people in our communities in west Wales are now suffering the risk of not being able to buy their own home throughout their life because of the unfair competition that can come from rich people that can buy a second or third home,” he added.