Negative impact of tourism cannot be denied

THIS time of year you will see our country lanes filled with daffodils, new season lambs out in the fields, and as temperatures rise in the coming weeks our hedgerows will once again come alive with hawthorn and blackthorn blooms filling the air with the sweet scent of spring.

Take a walk around our Welsh countryside and it’s easy to see why millions of people choose to come here on their holidays and rent holiday homes. Tourism is an important part of our economy and we welcome our visitors with open arms.

Indeed, the importance of tourism to Wales’s economy and the incomes of many farms that have diversified cannot be overstated, yet the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted some of the problems tourism can cause for rural communities, designated areas and farmers.

With an estimated 40% of properties sold in Gwynedd during the Covid-19 pandemic having been bought as second homes, the negative impacts of designation and tourism on communities, housing affordability and the Welsh language cannot be denied.

The impacts associated with second homes should be considered as a pan-wales issue for the agricultural community given that 80% of the total agricultural land in Wales is situated in the seven counties which contain two-thirds of all second homes.

Applying council tax premiums of 100% in selected counties has not achieved what they were intended to, and therefore the Welsh Government announcement to allow local councils to increase the maximum premium for second homes and long-term empty properties to 300% from April 2023 is welcomed.

However, the results of such changes must be monitored year on year and we believe that the spending of any additional revenue needs to be transparent and ringfenced for priorities such as to alleviate the impacts of second homes on local communities.

We also welcome the revised criteria for self-catering accommodation to be eligible for non-domestic business rates as this will enable local authorities to identify legitimate accommodation providers who typically provide such services for most of the year.

There is a world of difference between a farm building adapted to be a holiday let and a house purchased as a holiday home advertised on Airbnb in order to qualify as a business and avoid council tax.

Members will also be aware that we responded to the Welsh Government’s consultation on planning legislation and policy for second homes and short-term holiday lets recently. We stressed that whilst in principle the revised use classes for primary homes, secondary homes and short-term holiday lets make sense, the Welsh Government must ensure that the criteria are strict enough to ensure they aren’t open to abuse. There also remains a big question mark above how the Welsh Government proposes for local authorities to be able to effectively monitor and enforce such criteria.

On a final note, I encourage our members to contact the county office as soon as possible to book an appointment if they need help in filling out the SAF, and we would also like to welcome any potential new members to take advantage of this service which is included within the annual membership payment.