Agent slams council over holiday home restrictions

Rhys Elvins from Abersoch estate agents Elvins says Gwynedd Council's Article 4 direction will just restrict an open market for homes not create more affordable ones for locals.

holiday homes wales

An estate agent has slammed a big regional council’s plan to require second homes and holiday homes within its borders to have planning permission.

Rhys Elvins from Abersoch estate agents Elvins says Gwynedd Council’s decision to go ahead with an Article 4 direction banning more second homes would “not create more affordable homes”.

Speaking to the BBC, Elvins said: “It won’t make a difference, there’s nearly 80 unsold properties under £200,000 within a 10-mile radius of Abersoch at the moment on Rightmove.

“The frustration is that nobody has a right to buy where they were born – that’s something we see all over the country.

“For example, if you were born in Mayfair, it doesn’t mean you have a right to buy a home in Mayfair, and doesn’t necessarily mean you should change policies and people’s rights and freedoms to sell on an open market.”

Consultation

Gwynedd Council – which is now known as Cyngor Gwynedd in Wales – held a public consultation on the proposal, which will also stop properties being changed from primary residences into holiday lets as well as holiday homes, last year.

At the same time it also published a document justifying the claims, saying that the number of holiday homes and second homes in Gwynedd, which includes popular holiday destinations such as Abersoch, Porthmadog, Caernarvon and Barmouth, rose from 6,293 in 2018 to 7,559 in 2022.

“One pattern that has come to light in recent years is not only the combined increase in the number of second homes and holiday accommodation across the county but the fact that those increases are more evident in terms of the number of self-catering holiday accommodation,” the report says.

Taxing

This is because the council raised the council tax premium on second homes to the highest level possible, leading to many holiday home owners classifying their properties as holiday lets, which are considered to be businesses and pay non domestic rates instead.

“It is, therefore, emphasised that the ability to transfer easily between uses means that there is no efficient management of the existing housing stock.

“Furthermore, it is not possible to foresee or predict, to the best of our ability, what the local population’s future housing needs will be, since the current housing stock is being eroded.”

Read more about holiday lets.


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