People in second home hotspots could be able to try sell their homes locally first as part of Welsh Government plans to keep homes in the community. In a bid to ensure homes, particularly those in Welsh language heartlands can stay in local ownership, a plan for a voluntary "fair chance scheme" which allows properties to be marketed locally only for a fixed period has been announced.
Welsh language minister Jeremy Miles announced the plan at the Eisteddfod in Tregaron. He said they want to work with estate agents who have a "key role" because they know their local housing market well.
"We often hear about houses being sold before they go on the market, or being sold quickly to buyers with enough means to buy them—often without the need for a mortgage. Do remember that estate agents don’t decide who buys a property. The final decision is, of course, in the hands of the seller. We also sometimes hear about sellers accepting lower prices from local people, sellers giving people sufficient time to arrange a mortgage and also people putting covenants on their properties. There are examples of individuals inheriting housing and wanting to ensure that they remain homes for local families. There are examples of sellers helping buyers, which is why we’ll be setting up a fair chance scheme for local people.
Read more: The Welsh villages where influx of second homeowners are forcing locals out
"This will be a voluntary scheme to help people who want to sell decide exactly how they sell a property. Central to this will be allowing housing to be marketed locally only for a fixed period of time. Why voluntary? Because it’s not possible for us to force sellers to give local people a fair chance, but we can highlight the benefits of doing that and that’s what we’ll do."
He said there will also be a network of cultural ambassadors who are local people who will share information about life in their community, the Welsh language, and traditions and heritage. "People are more willing to belong to a community when they understand the community they live in," said Mr Miles.
We have asked the Welsh Government for further details of how the scheme will work. In places like Abersoch, the area with the most second homes in Wales, properties have huge price tags which do not reflect the earnings of local people.
The minister also announced a new commission for Welsh-speaking communities, Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg, which will bring together experts to make policy recommendations to protect and strengthen Welsh as a community language.
A Welsh Language Community Housing Plan will be published in the autumn. That will also include steps to protect Welsh place names and support for social enterprises and community housing co-operatives.
The Welsh Government has already announced a number of measures about second homes. You can read those in full here. It will mean changes to how long properties need to be occupied for, as well as councils being able to increase council tax and even cap the numbers of houses which can be holiday homes. It is part of the Welsh Labour Government's co-operation deal with Plaid Cymru.
Mr Miles said: "For the Welsh language to thrive, we need sustainable communities and good job opportunities in the areas where it is widely spoken. Through our Welsh Language Communities Housing Plan, and the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities we’re announcing today, we and our partners will work together with communities where Welsh is the main language and help them develop plans which protect their identity and our language. This isn’t about imposing solutions, so everything we do will be in line with local communities’ aspirations.
"The commission will help us develop future policies to sustain the language in those communities traditionally considered its heartlands. This isn’t about setting up a new body, it’s a group of experts in a range of fields who will give us a completely candid view about how the economy, policy decisions and demographics are affecting the Welsh language. I’ve said many times that the Cymraeg belongs to us all, as does the responsibility for its future. We’ll have to be brave and tackle things together that might be difficult. I’m sure that some of the things the Commission will tell us will be challenging, but that’s important - that’s what will help us find the most effective answers!"
Dr Simon Brooks, who previously published Second homes: developing new policies in Wales for the Welsh Government, will chair the commission. He said: "As a Commission, we’ll examine the linguistic reality of Welsh-speaking communities today in order to make policy recommendations which will help safeguard them for future generations. The Commission will produce a comprehensive report, bridging policy areas from education to the economy. By looking at these together, we want to help develop answers to the challenges facing our Welsh-speaking communities as a whole. Cymraeg belongs to us all and developing Welsh-speaking communities is crucial to its future as a living language."
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