Backlash grows over rural housing plans despite national targets being met

A national call has been issued for greater consistency and responsibility in housing decisions across Wales following the recent publication of the Welsh Government’s Welsh Housing Monitor (2026) report.

The report makes clear that Wales is on track to exceed its national social housing target, with delivery projected to reach 20,182 homes by November 2026, surpassing the Welsh Government’s commitment of 20,000 homes for this Senedd term.

This strong national performance raises serious questions over the growing number of speculative developments being put forward on unallocated rural land.

The findings undermine claims that off plan greenfield developments are needed to meet urgent demand. At the same time, Wales continues to hold a large stock of unused housing, including 22,558 empty homes and 4,819 vacant social homes, of which 1,725 have been vacant for 6 months or more.

Government policy now explicitly counts bringing vacant properties back into use towards national housing targets, signalling a clear preference for making better use of existing homes rather than releasing countryside for development.

This is reinforced by a recent Bevan Foundation report, produced with Shelter Cymru, which concludes that making better use of existing homes and buildings could unlock thousands of additional social homes across Wales, reducing the need for new greenfield development.

House price fall

Within this national context, the situation in Ceredigion is especially telling. The report states the county has experienced one of the sharpest house price falls in Wales, with a 5.3% decline over the last year, indicating that the local market is not under acute pressure and does not support claims of exceptional local demand.

Residents in Ceredigion are increasingly concerned by attempts to approve developments that sit entirely outside the LDP process — most notably the proposed 33 house Tanrallt development in Llanilar.

Residents argue that the proposal contradicts Welsh Government policy, which requires housing needs to be assessed through Local Housing Market Assessments and delivered through LDP allocated land. Allowing development on unallocated rural sites risks undermining the integrity of the planning system at both local and national levels.

The proposed Tanrallt development has already triggered a powerful public backlash, with 295 signing a petition calling for the scheme to be rejected. In addition to the 120 formal objection letters submitted to the Council during the public consultation earlier this year.

Next month 

The application is expected to come before the Council’s Development Committee next month (13th May), where campaigners hope the clear public opposition and grave environmental and amenity concerns will be fully recognised.

Hugh Morgan, member of a local resident group opposing the Tanrallt development said: “The Welsh Government’s own data shows Wales is exceeding housing targets, has thousands of empty homes, and faces construction capacity issues — not land shortages.

“Nothing in the national evidence justifies placing a housing estate outside the LDP and outside the village boundary of Llanilar or anywhere else in Ceredigion. Decisions must be based on facts, not opportunistic development pressure.”

Evidence obtained from Ceredigion County Council reveals its own Housing Need Register, which is being used by developer Tair Chwaer Cyf to justify the Tanrallt development, contains repeated entries across multiple categories and up to 5 entries per individual – inflating and misrepresenting the true level of housing need. As such, the figures cannot be relied upon as an accurate reflection of local housing requirement.

In addition, a substantial development already allocated within the LDP is coming forward in the centre of Llanilar and will provide affordable housing for the area – removing any justification for a development outside the LDP, at Tanrallt Farm.

Hugh Morgan adds: “We are calling for planning authorities to follow the national evidence, respect the LDP, abide by their own local and national policies, and ensure that housing growth remains sustainable, strategic, and rooted in genuine need rather than speculative proposals by developers on unallocated countryside.”