A community council in Wales has said that a new housing development should be reserved for Welsh-speakers only, describing the influx of non-Welsh speakers to the area as a “degenerative force”.
Botwnnog community council objected to proposals for 18 affordable homes in the village on the Llyn Peninsula in north-west Wales, traditionally a part of the country with a strong Welsh-speaking population, arguing that it could contribute to the village’s “over-development” and that there’s a risk they will be occupied by non-Welsh speakers.
The community council warned that the “high demand” for second homes and short-term accommodation in the region, coupled with a strong flow of tourists to the area, “has led to a substantial influx of non-Welsh speakers to the area for decades”.
In light of that, the application by R Williams of Cae Capel Cyf has reportedly attracted “strong” local objections, with the community council noting in a planning report that “it would be great if the availability of the proposed houses could be limited to Welsh speakers only”.
The “degenerative force” of non-Welsh speakers moving to the area “does not recognise boundaries,” the council said, pointing to the nearby communities of Llangïan and Abersoch, which have both seen a decline in the number of Welsh-speakers living there.
“As we know, it only takes the presence of a few non-Welsh speaking people to turn the community’s language of communication from Welsh to English.”
As well as this, the applicant “expects the community to do the necessary integration work. The lesson from the history of many Welsh communities is that this is not likely to happen,” the council said.
Botwnnog has a population of approximately 1000 people, and the council has argued that there is “no local need” for the houses, adding that instead more residents would add strain to already “overwhelmed” local infrastructure, such as schools and health services.
For its part, the application claims that local people are the most likely occupiers of the houses, with “the same Welsh-speaking characteristics as the local population”.
They said “the key issue is missed, which is that the proposal would provide affordable housing to meet evidenced local needs”.
This clash comes as concerns about the protection of Welsh-language communities remain high.
In 2022, the Welsh government announced a number of measures to protect Welsh-speaking communities, including encouraging homeowners to give local people “a fair chance” when selling their property and the establishment of a Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities (Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg) to make policy recommendations for the protection and strengthening of Welsh-speaking communities.