Support our Nation today - please donate here
News

Housing developer advertising ‘renamed’ Welsh language properties criticised by Senedd Member

22 Jun 2022 3 minute read
Rhun ap Iorwerth and the Anglesey Homes development

A housing developer has been publicly criticised by a Senedd Member after advertising that it had “renamed” Welsh language properties to English.

Anglesey Homes placed a message on social media advertising bookings saying “We’ve renamed our Gwel-yr-Wyddfa property!”

It is now known as 9 Sandy Retreat – available for 8 guests, pet friendly, and in the beautiful village of Llanfaelog. Ready to book your stay?”

The message attracted a backlash on social media, with users accusing them of “shocking disrespect”.

Ynys Môn Senedd Member Rhun ab Iorwerth responded to ask them whether “erasing the Welsh language” was part of their “business plan”.

“Hi Anglesey Homes. Perhaps you could explain what’s happening here. This is a property at 9 Gwel yr Wyddfa, which you’ve now changed to 9 Sandy Retreat, yes? Is erasing the Welsh language/culture a part of your business plan?”

The property is still listed on Anglesey Homes’ website as ‘9 Gwel-yr-Wyddfa’.

“A newly built property on a new estate, just outside Rhosneigr on the Isle of Anglesey, is 9 Gwel-y-Wyddfa, a detached and contemporary property, ideal for a family or large group wanting to explore Anglesey’s coastline,” the website says.

‘Marketed locally’

The company has previously been criticised for the way it has marketed the properties on its website and on social media.

This included a message on their Facebook page in 2019, that read: “Owning a UK holiday home can be a great investment, and a reliable source of income.

“That’s why Anglesey Homes are building apartments and innovative new houses across coastal areas of North Wales that are perfect for new and experienced investors.”

Cymdeithas yr Iaith criticised the company at the time, telling the Daily Post: “This website is clearly focused on selling holiday homes to people from outside the island. The housing market needs a complete overhaul.

“We’re glad that the Welsh Government has allowed local authorities to increase council tax on second homes, but they need to go much further.

“We need a package of measures such as a Property Act to ensure that prices of homes reflect what is affordable to people on local wages.

“Local people should have the first chance to buy homes when they go on the market and they should only be marketed locally.”

A spokeswoman for Anglesey Homes said at the time: “It is not our intention to market the site purely to second home owners.

“We apologise if that is the impression you have taken from our website.

“You will also see that the site is registered with Help to Buy Wales, to assist local people to buy as homes. “


Support our Nation today

For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
20 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago

This is overt language cleansing by Anglesey Homes. They even announced it with a sense of smug accomplishment. No shame? Something’s got to be done to stop this. Welsh Labour rejected calls to protect our Welsh language place names in law. Mark Drakeford are you listening? Act now to stop this cultural vandalism!

Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
1 year ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

Perhaps Rhun should be reminded – at a previous Assembly (as it then was) Dr Dai Lloyd introduced a bill that would protect Welsh place names and make changes such as this, illegal. The then UKIP group supported the bill; half the Plaid Cymru didn’t bother to turn up.

Mandi A
Mandi A
1 year ago
Reply to  Dr John Ball

You only have to go as far as Holyhead (11 miles from this development) to find new streets and housing are required to have Welsh names.

Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
1 year ago
Reply to  Mandi A

Excellent! This should be a requirement everywhere!

Y Cymro
Y Cymro
1 year ago
Reply to  Dr John Ball

Firstly get your facts right. The bill failed because the Welsh Labour Government defeated it by 28 votes against to 25 for. And their reasoning for not supporting Dr Dai Lloyds bill? Culture Secretary Ken Kate’s said , and I quote his statement: “I do not see how any system of general consent or control for changes can be feasible or affordable.” And yes the bill proposed in 2017 by Plaid’s Dr Dai Lloyd was supported by both UKIP & Welsh Conservatives, but knowing their previous anti-Welsh form, likely done out of mischief not any support for the Welsh language… Read more »

Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
1 year ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

You have perhaps missed the point. Ellis Thomas was still a member of the PC group (although in farness you was out of control) and I can understand Neil McEovy not supporting anything the group did after he’d been messed about.
But where was the “leader?” On a fundamental “nationalist” issue she was missing – try Y Cymrototo explain/defend that..
Add her to Thomas and McEvoy and the vote was even. Interesting, decision by the Presiding Officer..

BobSnail
BobSnail
1 year ago
Reply to  Y Cymro

At least Anglesey Homes haven’t changed the village name from Llanfaelog. Maybe that’s next one on their agenda.

Mandi A
Mandi A
1 year ago

The other major crime here is where planning applications are granted with partial S106 local occupancy restrictions on them which are then promptly flouted. The starting price for these houses which back onto the main Holyhead to London railway was £249,000, not exactly starter homes. No-one seems to have any push-back against these constant planning infringements and the developers know it. This company has another development in the area – 10 flats with only 6 designated parking spaces, all sold, £2.5m at least generated – but no accounts submitted, threatened with compulsory strike-off by Companies House, but on they trade.… Read more »

Rhosddu
Rhosddu
1 year ago

A simple by-law introduced by Cyngor Ynys Mon would prevent this happening again. They don’t need to wait for Drakeford to wake up.

Richard
Richard
1 year ago

Most people from outside Wales rejoice in having ‘ local ‘ names on their homes – it is seen ( if perhaps tokenism) as a way of respecting their new land . Indeed many of us who who live in our nations of the U.K. or indeed across the world 🌎 like to take our own piece of Yr Hen Wlad with us…..as In the USA, Australia and Patagonia. World fsmous architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the States or Ausi Premier Billy Hughes or Michael D Jones in Yr Wyladfa all gave Welsh names to their homes. My own Ausi… Read more »

George
George
1 year ago
Reply to  Richard

Surely it depends on what name is being changed? You’d have a hard time finding an example of 9 Sandy Retreat being culturally relevant anywhere in the world so changing that to a Welsh name would usually be different. Of course, if there is a culturally significant name on the building it shouldn’t be changed to Welsh.

Richard 1
Richard 1
1 year ago
Reply to  George

During lockdown I changed from “The Knoll” (culturally significant for anglophones by some logic maybe) to “Tryweryn” (culturally significant or what?!) Next door started out in 1911 as “Lletyheulog”; now “Park House” – yeah it’s a house, where’s the park?

Richard
Richard
1 year ago
Reply to  George

The colonist languages of the 3 states I mentioned were of course English and Castilian which dominated and still do ,any countries on this 🌍. The local indigenous languages of areas settled were pushed aside and in a place like Patagonia included German Swiss plus Genoese and Cymraeg all of which remain and at the bottom of the pile excluded from most educational settings and public life we find the “ local “ languages that named the rivers and mountains plus natural features . Even in Chile where millionaire multi landowner Hywel Hughes a friend of Gwynfor and Saunders etc… Read more »

Last edited 1 year ago by Richard
GarethW
GarethW
1 year ago

Ethnic cleansing appears to happen to do in Wales. We need to make this illegal in Wales too. Time to stop this

Keith Gogarth
Keith Gogarth
1 year ago

Lying, manipulative bs

Welshman Tomos
Welshman Tomos
1 year ago
Reply to  Keith Gogarth

Same has happened to other nations, Hawaiians, native Americans…. just so the rich can have that extra seat to shove their backsides on by the coast.

Mandi A
Mandi A
1 year ago

Worth noting that this house is unsold from the new builds and has been changed to holiday letting by the developers themselves. They have struck off their other company Anglesey Staycations. This site was originally a small local garden centre so maybe Y Gardd would have been nice rather than Snowdon View.

Philip Saunders
Philip Saunders
1 year ago

Oh joy the Welsh language fascists have something to whine about. In other news, rain is wet. Most people in Wales can’t speak Welsh. They mostly speak English.

Johnny Gamble
Johnny Gamble
1 year ago

It’s obvious that you don’t even know the meaning of The word fascist

Howard Edwards
Howard Edwards
1 year ago

‘Sandy retreat’ is a naff name anyway. It would be naff even in England.
Keep to the Welsh names. That company is trying to destroy our language using cheap rubbishy imports.

Our Supporters

All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018.