Councillor praises ‘pioneering’ second homes and holiday lets curb

Dale Spridgeon Local Democracy Reporter

Introducing curbs on second homes and holiday lets has been one of the “most pioneering” policies in Cyngor Gwynedd’s history, a senior councillor has claimed.

Cllr Craig ap Iago, the council’s cabinet member for environment, and the former cabinet member for housing, said they had to tackle the “massive” homelessness crisis in the county.

The Plaid Cymru councillor, who represents Penygroes, said it was hoped the introduction of Article 4 and council tax premiums would turn the tide against evidence showing that young people leave Gwynedd because house prices are out of their reach.

He said the purpose of Article 4, a planning tool which can remove or restrict permitted development rights on houses, was to try and influence the use of housing to give local people, especially youngsters, a chance to get their foot on the housing ladder in their own communities.

“Hidden problem”

Critics argue that the policy affects all home owners by reducing the value of properties, and argue that even if property values fell, most homes would remain out of the reach of local buyers, thus profiting only those looking to move into the area.

Cllr Cllr ab Iago said: “At the end of the day, it is just about creating homes for people to live in.

“I wish people could understand, we are not some ogres against holiday homes or Airbnbs, lots of us use them with our families here and on holidays.

“But the situation in Gwynedd is quite unique, we are facing a huge homeless problem with lots of people on waiting lists.

“Yet, we also have large numbers of holiday accommodation and second homes, far more than in other areas.

“All we are trying to do is to manage our own housing situation, to control the housing stock and limit the numbers of holiday homes, we don’t want to stop them altogether, tourism is a crucial part of the economy here in Gwynedd.

“We know that the real homelessness situation is far worse than official figures show, few people realise not much is said about it.

“There are lots of people who don’t show up in the figures, it’s the people sofa surfing, moving from place to place, staying with friends and relatives, they go under the radar.

“Then there are others, scraping by in really poor, damp, run down older housing, it’s a hidden problem.

“We want to create a situation where all our residents in Gwynedd have a fair crack at living in a proper home.”

Priced out

Recent Gwynedd Council’s research shows that 65.5% of the county’s population have been priced out of the housing market.

In certain wards, especially within the Llŷn Peninsula, in places like Abersoch, Aberdaron, Botwnnog, Llanengan and Tudweiliog, between 90% and 96% of local people cannot afford to buy a home.

Recently, a group that opposes Article 4 in Gwynedd raised funds to pay for a judicial review.

In November, the People of Gwynedd Against Article 4 (PGAA4) campaign group was refused permission to bring forward a judicial review of the decision.

However the legal battle took a fresh turn in February after a judge has ruled the review can in fact take place.

Mr Justice Pepperall said the review should proceed on one key ground – that the council’s cabinet may have been “misled” over the nature and extent of the changes to the county’s planning regime.

A hearing is expected on June 23, and the council is defending the case.

Cllr ap Iago said: “My worry with all this, is there is this group trying to stop us doing this, taking us to court, it all costs money.

“It is money taken away from the council coffers which could be helping people and it’s taxpayers’ money.

“At the end of the day, whatever happens with the court case, we just want people to understand the reasoning behind Article 4.

“At least we will have opened up the narrative, we always felt that house prices were something that was done to us.

“But with hope, self-worth and belief, we can sort our own problems, and change the narrative over the affordability of homes.”

Anyone who owns a property that was already being used as a second home or holiday let accommodation before September 1, 2024 would not be affected by Article 4.

After that date, anyone wishing to change the use of a property to a second home or short-term holiday accommodation would need planning consent.

The council has also brought in a 150% premium on council tax for second homes and a 100% premium on long-term empty houses.

The local authority has also introduced a Housing Action Plan [HAP] which uses the funds from the premium levied on second and empty houses to tackle the housing crisis.

The plan includes over 30 different elements, including preventing homelessness, increasing the number of social houses available to bring empty homes back into use and helping first time buyers.

Another project under the HAP is Tŷ Gwynedd, which is the council’s plan to build their own houses for the first time in over twenty years.

Some are already underway in Bangor and Llanberis, with other areas earmarked for construction of new houses soon.

Eryri National Park also made the decision to bring in an Article 4 directive recently.

From June 1, 2025, it became operational within the National Park.

Some other county councils in Wales are also discussing the subject and are considering introducing the new guidance.

Next week the council’s cabinet will meet to discuss changes to its supplementary planning guidance.

It follows a public consultation period, held between February 24 and April 7, 2024.