A new play is set to look at how the second homes crisis affects young people in rural Wales. Croendenau, which means 'Thin-skinned' in Welsh, is a coming-of-age comedy drama that charts a teenage girl’s path through parties, pads and possibilities, North Wales Live reports.
The play has been created by Mared Llywelyn who is from Pen Llŷn in Gwynedd - a place that seen an influx of houses being bought as holiday homes in local communities in recent years. For her new play, Mared hadn’t intended to touch upon the subject but realised it was hard to avoid.
"When researching the play, I asked students at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor what was affecting their lives,” the 29-year-old said. "They all spoke about the housing crisis."
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Croendenau, which is set to tour all over Wales including in Pwllheli and Cardiff, is said to be a funny, warm and poignant production, but the housing crisis which has left generations of local people unable to afford a home where they live, is never far away. Mared said: "Croendenau came from a feeling of deep frustration with the second homes crisis in our communities. It threatens all that is important to us – our language, culture and the character of our villages."
According to North Wales Live, Mared insists it's not autobiographical but she’s not been immune from the upheaval. After graduating from Aberystwyth University in 2016 with a degree in Welsh and theatre studies, she returned home to the Pen Llŷn village of Morfa Nefyn to find rampant house price inflation. Mared had no choice but to move back in with her family.
She’s still there and needless to say, she backs the Welsh Government's policies aimed at tackling holiday lets and second homes. The government has granted each county council the power to increase council tax premiums on second home owners by up to 300%. As of April this year, Cyngor Gwynedd has decided to hike up the council tax to 150%.
Currently any holiday house that is let out for more than 70 days a year – and is available to be let out for more than 140 days a year – can pay business rates instead of council tax. But come April as well, holiday homes will have to be let out for more than 182 days a year and be available for let for upwards of 252 days a year to qualify for the exemption.
Many in Pen Llŷn have campaigned against the influx of second homes, which they say has engulfed communities and priced out local residents, including Mared herself. You can read more about this here. Such is the depth of the crisis however, she said the government cannot afford to rest on its laurels. "It can’t sit back and think it’s done its job," she said. "There’s still a long way to go."
As well as second homes, Mared has campaigned for the Welsh language amid concerns the influx of outsiders is suppressing local culture. The proportion of young people in Nefyn speaking the language is among the highest in Wales, but the most recent census revealed it had dipped below 70% for the first time as it had in Abersoch. In 1971, more than 80% spoke Welsh on the Llŷn.
In her dramedy, the protagonist Nel, played by actress Betsan Ceiriog from Caeathro in Gwynedd, is still in sixth form and has other things to think about other than bricks and mortar. "But she is aware the community around her is changing," said Mared.
"In the play it doesn't have a name but it’s obvious that it’s somewhere on Pen Llŷn. It’s about the area’s dependence on tourism, the influx of visitors and the need to find work in the summer – and how a young girl learns to love her community."
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