Want to buy a home in Wales? You must speak Welsh

Would-be homebuyers in Wales could have to prove they can speak the Cymraeg – the Welsh language – in a bid to safeguard communities and stem the trend of buying second homes.

The new actions to protect Welsh-speaking communities were unveiled at the National Eisteddfod in Tregaron last week, ahead of the publication of the final Welsh Language Community Housing Plan (WLCHP) in the autumn.

The interventions include encouraging homeowners to give local people a fair chance when selling their property as well as a new Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities, Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg, to protect and strengthen Cymraeg as a community language.

FAIR CHANCE

The ‘fair chance scheme’ would allow properties to be marketed locally only, for a fixed period. The Welsh government will also work with estate agents to address the housing needs of those communities. It has already extended the discretionary powers for local authorities to increase council tax on second and long-term empty homes by up to 300%.

And last month new planning laws, a licensing scheme for visitor accommodation and proposals to change land transaction tax in areas with large numbers of second homes were announced.

Jeremy Miles, minister for education and Welsh language, says: “For the Welsh language to thrive, we need sustainable communities and good job opportunities in the areas where it is widely spoken.

This isn’t about imposing solutions, so everything we do will be in line with local communities’ aspirations.”

“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.”

Dr Simon Brooks, who previously published proposals second home policies in Wales for the Welsh Government, will chair the commission.

He says: “Cymraeg belongs to us all and developing Welsh-speaking communities is crucial to its future as a living language.”