A woman from Pen Llyn has been given the go-ahead to build a home on an old ruin site as she could not afford house prices in her local area. Catrin Williams was born and brought up in the Llyn Peninsula, where house prices have rocketed amid demand from second-home owners.
Catrin, 28, who is from the village of Llangwnnadl, bought the derelict building as she could not afford a home. Average house prices in nearby Abersoch have hit more than £400,000, according to ONS data. Planning permission was recommended for refusal due to the fact that the site was last lived in 50 years ago, which meant that it could not be legally designated as a house. However, Gwynedd Council's planning committee members have now given the proposal the green light.
This comes after many people in areas such as Pen Llyn called for better legislation on housing prices due to the influx of properties being bought as holiday or second home s in the region. Earlier this month, the Welsh Government announced an increase to the maximum level of council tax premiums for second homes, which could go up to 300% when it comes to power in April 2023.
