Second home owners in north Wales may need planning permission to convert their property into second homes or holiday lets in the future. On Tuesday afternoon, Cyngor Gwynedd decided they would proceed with their steps to control the use of houses as second homes and holiday under new planning legislation.
It comes after the Welsh Government announced a series of measures last year to address the impact of second homes and short-term holiday accommodation on Welsh communities. These measures included permitting councils to increase council tax premiums as well as changes to the criteria for self-catering accommodation being liable for business rates instead of council tax.
Some of those measures have now been implemented in Gwynedd, which has some of the highest concentration of second homes in its tourist areas. In November of last year the council announced their plans to increase the premium it charges to the owners of 23,000 second homes in the county to 150%, which was implemented in April of this year.
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The county was one of the first in Wales to make use of new powers announced by the Welsh Government to let councils increase council tax bills premiums on second homes and long-term empty properties up to 300%. Additionally planning legislation has also been amended, which means that local planning authorities can introduce what is known as an Article 4 Direction to control the use of houses as second homes and holiday accommodation.
If Cyngor Gwynedd go ahead with this plan it will be one of the first councils in Wales to do so. An Article 4 Direction is a planning tool which enables local planning authorities to respond to the specific needs of their areas. For specific types of developments planning permission is not required and these are referred to as 'permitted development rights'.
However by implementing the Article 4 Direction a local planning authority can require planning consent for some types of developments which would otherwise be permitted development such as where no planning consent would be required for the use. If the legislation is given the go-ahead in Gwynedd current second home owners or short-term holiday lets will not need be expected to submit a planning application for use that is already established. On top of this the Gwynedd Local Planning Authority Area does not include the Eryri National Park Authority Area but the latter is also considering the introduction of an Article 4 Direction in the area of Gwynedd where it acts as the local planning authority.
Ahead of their meeting on Tuesday Councillor Dafydd Meurig, the Cyngor Gwynedd cabinet member for environment, said: "Cyngor Gwynedd, along with organisations like Hawl i Fyw Adra and Cymdeithas yr Iaith, have tirelessly called on the Welsh Government for years to tackle the increase in holiday homes across the county and the effect that is having on our communities."
He added: "The report that will be considered by the Council's cabinet outlines the strong evidence base in the Gwynedd Local Planning Authority Area to reform the planning system locally by presenting what is known as an Article 4 Direction. This would make it necessary to submit an application for planning permission to change from one use to another and help the council in protecting our housing stock and supporting Gwynedd’s residents to have access to houses that are within their reach in our communities.
"Gwynedd would be the first authority in Wales to introduce the change and placing an Article 4 Direction to control the use of houses as second homes or short-term holiday accommodation will be unprecedented. We are therefore pleased that the Welsh Government has committed to providing financial support that will enable us to appoint additional planning officers to deal with the extra workload. If the cabinet supports the proposal we will look to advertise jobs in the coming months and promote these exciting opportunities in due course."
Recent research has shown that on average 65.5% of Gwynedd's population is priced out of the housing market with the percentage said to be increasing significantly in areas where there are higher numbers of holiday homes. With Cyngor Gwynedd's cabinet consent, the council will now place a notice of the Article 4 Direction and hold a period of public engagement on the proposal.
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