Plans for new Anglesey holiday village ‘threat to language’ – group claims

A Welsh-language campaigns group has expressed its “grave reservations” about plans to develop a substantial holiday village on Anglesey.

Dyfodol i’r Iaith (A Future for the Language) – a non-political organisation campaigning to keep and nurture the Welsh language – believes that the new proposal earmarked for the former Octel site near Amlwch constitutes not only a threat to the Welsh language, but also to the viability and diversity of the local economy.

Developers want to build on the site of the former Associated Octel bromine plant, which closed in 2004.

Planning permission was granted in 2016 to enable another company – Bluestone – to build a different £120m holiday park at Holyhead on land previously owned by Anglesey Aluminium.

The plans were met with scepticism amid concerns about their impact on the Welsh language and the environment.

Bluestone had originally hoped to open the village this year and create 900 jobs. But its plans have now been shelved because of a lack of funding.

‘Community’

Dyfodol’s chair Heini Gruffudd said: “We would ask Ynys Môn Council to be very wary of this application and seriously consider the priorities of the community and the Welsh language.

“The main problem regarding such developments, as we see it, is the lack of benefit they bring to the local community.

“Such tourism ventures should be in local hands and the profits diversified to help create a robust and varied local economy. If the sector is carefully developed, then ultimately that which we oppose – an economy that is over-dependent on tourism – can be avoided.

“Unfortunately this plan, which syphons profit away from the community,would appear to be culturally harmful and exploitative of the wider local economy. “

Nation.Cymru has asked NPL for its response.