Gwynedd clamps down on holiday homes

Well done Gwynedd, not before time

I am all for houses being built for locals, why does the council not do that and enforce that they can only be sold to locals?

People come to Wales and the area to spend their money and invest in the communities, these are communities that people like to visit.

I wish the councils would stop having a vendetta against holiday homes – second homes aren’t necessary but holiday homes at least add some money to the economy.

Gwyendd have done nothing to improve job prospects for people to live there and work there.

There has been a 33% reduction in visitors to Wales, according to Visit Britain. Sit back and watch it creep steadily past 40%.
What’s the policy focus for replacing all the lost jobs from tourism? More hill farming? Or might there be support for greater industrial development? Because right now there’s nowt more than a huge void.

This appears to be a hammer to crack a nut and could easily backfire. The fundamental issues are there isn’t enough employment opportunity in Gwynedd to deliver good wages and a lack of affordable and social housing for locals who want to stay in the area. Second/Holiday Homes and holiday lets are part of a tourist industry that keeps these places alive bringing is some investment and employment. Putting different use class on them may impact the dynamic and pricing of the wider residential market in the county.

Well said ‘More Anonymous than the others’ and ‘Welsh Expat’.

All this will do is crash the housing market to make housing affordable to most Gwynedd young people housing would have to be below £60000,banks will not lend you £180000 on a property that by Feb 2025 may only be £90000 ,and since when has it been democratic to dictate who you can sell to, 85000 homes for sale in Gwynedd and local people don’t want them

This is what socialism looks like in practice folks. Interfering to try and help a disenfranchised minority but ultimately will harm the local economy and make the situation worse. Unless you own the Warren where the value of the caravans has gone up 20% overnight!!!

Not enough well paid jobs in the area for the younger generation to provide the needed income required to purchase houses. There are currently around 80 homes within 10 miles of abersoch for sale under 200k?why aren’t these getting snapped up? 250% council tax , tourist levy , minimum of 182 night stays per year on holiday lets required to avoid penalties. Throw the 20mph and the constant awful weather and sit back and watch the visitor number drop in the coming years.

Before I start I’m Welsh I was born in Colwyn Bay. So here goes. I left Wales many years ago 30 to be exact because of the pure stupidity of the council and their backward thinking and stubborn attitude. There is no business in Wales except tourism. So by inviting people from outside to come and stay in Wales only brings businesses. Food, coffee bars, golfing, boating, climbing, canoeing, tours, castles. It generates income for Wales. The additional things would be showrooms, adventure parks forest trails. However instead the council think by not allowing investors to purchase housing to accommodate holiday makers is a good idea. How stupid can you be. OK let’s not allow holiday makers in and keep the economy of Wales below the rate of inflation were eventually nobody wants to go there. Why because all the shops have closed down. Let’s face it the Welsh have already done half by putting everywhere at 20mph. To which again the Welsh police like vultures see an opportunity to capitalise on people doing 30mph. 🤔 now people are starting to either stay at home or go else where simply because their licence is their life, their mortgage payment, their kids to school, their enjoyment. I could go on and on but you get the picture. Utter stupidity.

8 big family homes around me, empty for most of the year, are holiday let’s. 2 have been split into 3 let’s each so that’s 12 let’s. Only 2 are rented out by locals. 1 big extended 2nd home in the mix too. These buildings stand empty kost of the time, apart from the crazy busy summer of covid. Everyone going back abroad now. House orices crazy, locals can’t get decent homes or decent rentals, and living in really bad property or having to move out of area and take kids to new schools. You earn more now cleaning a caravan or holiday let, than in the public sector in NHS and Health and Social care.

Well Anonymous, we locals like to see tourists and we like to see them leave. I have no objections to 2nd homes myself, but when greedy people buy 3 or 4 homes to make money out of them and convert them into mini palaces so that the locals can’t afford them when they come on the market. I know of of one house that £200,000 was spent on it on top of the 350k they paid for it. You tell me what local can afford to buy that?
Yes visitor numbers are down this year, but that is thanks to the weather, and people are more comfortable going abroad again.

“Abersoch has some of the most holiday homes in Gwynedd. “ is there an editor at Place, or are they all on holiday ( in Wales obvs.)

Hi Owain – I’ve fixed the caption, which was altogether too colloquial, as you pointed out. Thanks for keeping us on our toes. – Julia

July 18, 2024 at 6:23 pm

By Julia Hatmaker

There’s a lot of hand-wringing here, and no shortage of anti-Welsh rhetoric. This isn’t an issue that’s restricted to Wales – take a look at Cornwall and parts of the Lake District, all places that are losing their amenities, their communities and their culture (language too in Wales, unfortunately too late for Cornwall in that respect).

This change doesn’t outlaw second homes or holiday lets, but it does ensure that their impact is properly considered and numbers will be appropriate and proportional to their location.

In that way, local young families will be able to get on the property ladder, bring up their families, support schools and local institutions and contribute year-round to vibrant diverse and distinctive communities.

Otherwise you end up with grotesque seasonal places like Abersoch, or increasingly, Rhosneigr. Places that are no longer villages with distinct characters – killing the golden goose that attracts visitors in the first place.

I have lived in Wales, Gwynedd to be Precise for the last 15 years.
Tourism is a fundamental part of the economy, there are very few well paid jobs in the area with a bias towards Welsh speakers. I have seen the posters all over Gwynedd pretty much saying we don’t want holiday homes here and defacing caravan parks when they advertise.
Yet locals are complain when the economy shrinks and the councils are underfunded and putting up the council tax by 10%.
My question is, when the weather is garbage, the council and quite a lot of locals are hostile, there are ridiculous 20mph speed limits imposed in quite a lot of the area… why would anyone want to come?
If tourism is only down by 33% I’m genuinely surprised.
The council needs to overall its policies and place less biased people at the helm who actually have a business brain and can deliver for the people of Gwynedd. The area needs long term investments, better job opportunities, affordable homes, better shopping areas with centres that contain something other than charity shops and be more welcoming to people who want to come to the area to spend their hard earned cash.

What are Anglesey councils plans through Plaid Cymru

@Jack Mary Ann I don’t think there is hand wringing or anti Welsh rhetoric just a commentary of the pros and cons of such a policy. I agree its an issue elsewhere throughout tourist spots in the UK although I don’t believe such policies are the answer and will have wider consequential impact.