Planners Reject Scheme for 18 Affordable Houses in Welsh-Speaking Village

Planners have rejected a scheme to build 18 affordable houses in a “significantly” Welsh speaking Llŷn village amid fears over its impact on Cymraeg and a perceived “lack of need” for the homes.
Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee turned down the scheme which would have seen a mix of housing built on grazing land near to Cae Capel at Botwnnog.
The application by Cae Capel Cyf had attracted “strong” local objections.
Botwnnog’s community council had also presented “strong feelings” against the plan.
It had felt the houses would constitute an “over development” and feared the homes could go to non-Welsh speakers – having an impact on the Welsh language.
But the applicants had argued in a report the impact would be “nil or at most very modest, and certainly not sufficient to be materially harmful to the language”.
After a debate on Monday, September 9, councillors narrowly voted seven to six to refuse the application.
The vote went against the officers’ advice to permit – a decision which then saw senior planning officer Gareth Jones implement “a cooling off period” so issues could be reconsidered.
Council planning manager Keira Sweeney said the scheme had seen a reduction from 21 houses to 18.
The scheme offered “a good mix” of housing and it was not considered “an over development”.
It met Cyngor Gwynedd’s housing action plan to “meet high demand for housing in the county,” she said.
Applicant Robert Williams said the scheme would be “100 percent affordable,” arguing the homes would be occupied by local people.
The impact on the language would be “small – if any at all” and the project would make a “significant contribution to local housing need”.
But local member Cllr Gareth Williams said he could “go on for an hour” against the plans, saying there had been a lot of “bad feeling” locally.
“Everyone in the local area feels very strongly against it…no one locally has asked to live in the homes,” he said.
“It will be 18 social rent buildings, in a rural field, in a rural village.”
He argued there was “a lack of need”.
He said it was an “overdevelopment in a field in the middle of the village”.
He said: “The people who will live in the houses will be from outside of the area.”
He said they would likely be non Welsh speakers, which “would [be] detrimental to the culture”.
He added: “It is important we protect the Welsh language.”
Cllr Louise Hughes asked: “How on earth are they going to squash 18 houses into a small area?
“Botwnnog is more of a hamlet, to put a huge development into a small village alters the character of a village, as a non fluent Welsh speaker I sympathise with the views.
“There’s no local need – this is not just ‘local’ need as in the Llŷn Peninsula but Gwynedd wide, it would changes the character of the village, I am against granting permission on this one.”
Planning officer Gareth Jones argued there was a “dire need” for affordable housing in the county.
He said: “This development and others in similar settlements as in Bethel – play an important role in addressing affordable homes need.”
He noted that “the site is designated in your policies”.
He added: “If [the] intention is to refuse on need – but the report shows evidence of need – we will have to refer to a cooling off period.
“We would not be able to defend the decision.”
Cllr Anne Lloyd Jones felt the committee “should adhere to our policies”.
She said: “The council has accepted the local development plan and this land was included.
“There are people waiting for a house, if we refuse this today, like in Bontnewydd, it could be be granted on appeal, our role is to uphold our policies.”
Cllr Huw Rowlands felt eight dwellings was a “significant development in a Welsh speaking rural village”.
He said: “It will have an impact on the Welsh language, there is strong feeling locally.
“If the wrong decision is made, it will have drastic consequences, and will be too late, it is a proposal which could cause significant harm.”
Cllr Elin Highs added: “I do think our responsibility is to protect communities.”
Cllr Gareth Jones said: “There is extreme opposition locally – everyone is against it.”
But Cllr Edgar Wyn Owen felt he couldn’t turn down a proposal to provide affordable homes.
Proposing refusal, Cllr Gruff Williams said: “There is no need locally.”
He added: “They should locate the houses where the need is, mostly round the Caernarfon area.
“People say we are racists when we are trying to protect our language, it makes it difficult for people to stand up against these policies.”
A “cooling off” period was implemented to allow officers to report on the reasons given.
No official decision can be made until after the cooling off period.

By Dale Spridgeon – Local Democracy Reporter