**Councillors say any influx to 18 affordable new houses risks a ‘degenerative influence’ to the rural settlement**
A Welsh village has succeeded in blocking a new housing estate because non-Welsh-speaking families could cause “significant harm” if they moved in.
Botwnnog community council in Gwynedd, North Wales, previously claimed English speakers could be a “degenerative influence” if they were allowed to settle in 18 affordable houses due to be built in the rural settlement.
On Monday, Gwynedd County Council’s planning committee voted to reject the application outright to “protect the Welsh language”, going against the advice of its own planning officials who said it should be approved.
Botwnnog is a village of fewer than 1,000 people in the Llŷn Peninsula, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that juts out into the Irish Sea from the Welsh west coast.
Welsh is spoken at home by three-quarters of pupils at the village’s two schools which also teach in the native language, according to government statistics.
Plans to build a series of bungalows for social rent on farmland on the edge of the village sparked controversy in the rural community.
Village councillors claimed that the homes would present a “danger to the Welsh language and the fabric of the community” if approved.
But Robert Williams, the applicant, said the impact on the language would be small and the development would make a “significant contribution to local housing need”.
His view was supported by Gwynedd county council’s own planning officials.
On Monday Gareth Jones, a planning officer, told a meeting of the authority’s planning committee that there was “dire need” for affordable housing and there was “no hard evidence” that the Welsh language would be harmed substantially by the development.
“We would not be able to defend the decision [to reject the application],” he said.
But several local councillors spoke out against the proposals.
‘It will have drastic consequences’
Cllr Huw Rowlands said the development would “have an impact on the Welsh language”.
“If the wrong decision is made, it will have drastic consequences and it will be too late,” he said. “It is a proposal which could cause significant harm.”
Cllr Gareth Williams said the occupants would be from outside the area and their presence would be “detrimental to the culture”.
“Everyone in the local area feels very strongly against it,” he said.
Cllr Gareth Jones added: “There is extreme opposition locally – everyone is against it.”
Cllr Gruff Williams said: “They should locate the houses where the need is, mostly round the Caernarfon area.
“People say we are racists when we are trying to protect our language. It makes it difficult for people to stand up against these policies.”
The proposals were rejected by one vote, with six councillors supporting them and seven voting against.
There will now be a “cooling off” period until the next committee meeting on Sept 30.
Planning officials will draw up responses to the objections before the next meeting, where councillors will vote for a second time on the development.
NuPNua on
Small community, isolated on the coast, speaking a dying language and suspicious of outsiders? All the markings of a Lovecraft story there.
funkyphonicsmonkey on
I’m sorry, but how is this any different from Farage et al complaining that migrants cannot integrate into British society and therefore being anti migration? Populism in a small community is still populism.
Edit: for the record, I am a proud Welsh speaker, but don’t support this sort of exclusion. If they were intended to be social housing, we should be encouraging more housing where it is viable.
SpaceMonkeyOnABike on
So 18 houses x ~4 people per house would be around 80 people. How is 1000+ people threatened by this?
Ok_Fly_9544 on
What is it with Welsh nationalism for the past 5 years? How is shit like this even legal under the union?
sickofsnails on
My short, but eventful, experience in Gwynedd taught me that they really dislike outsiders. If you’re not one of them, they’re not likely to be pleasant with you. So the council behaving like this doesn’t shock me.
haphazard_chore on
This is NIMBY bullshit. As a Welsh man who grew up in Gwynedd this is embarrassing. If language dies off, then that’s natural progression. These people just didn’t want the development!
Real-Olive5816 on
Only three quarters of the students speak Welsh at home? Sounds like there is already plenty of English speaking families there then.
T3rryF0ld on
Build a wall around them. Let them have their isolation, and we can watch as it turns into Welsh speaking hunger games, but the main chick all the dudes want to fuck is a sheep this time. Obviously.
dfgsdffds on
This is local shop, for local people. There’s nothing for you here!
Cleverjoseph on
Good. The Welsh language has a right to and needs to be protected, it’s the last major brythonic language in the uk, a group that is an extremely important part of our history and indeed once across all of england, it’s not only culturally important to the Welsh themselves but to the whole of britain.
11 Comments
Article contents:
*By Timothy Sigsworth, 11 Sep 2024 – 05:58PM BST*
**Councillors say any influx to 18 affordable new houses risks a ‘degenerative influence’ to the rural settlement**
A Welsh village has succeeded in blocking a new housing estate because non-Welsh-speaking families could cause “significant harm” if they moved in.
Botwnnog community council in Gwynedd, North Wales, previously claimed English speakers could be a “degenerative influence” if they were allowed to settle in 18 affordable houses due to be built in the rural settlement.
On Monday, Gwynedd County Council’s planning committee voted to reject the application outright to “protect the Welsh language”, going against the advice of its own planning officials who said it should be approved.
Botwnnog is a village of fewer than 1,000 people in the Llŷn Peninsula, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty that juts out into the Irish Sea from the Welsh west coast.
Welsh is spoken at home by three-quarters of pupils at the village’s two schools which also teach in the native language, according to government statistics.
Plans to build a series of bungalows for social rent on farmland on the edge of the village sparked controversy in the rural community.
Village councillors claimed that the homes would present a “danger to the Welsh language and the fabric of the community” if approved.
But Robert Williams, the applicant, said the impact on the language would be small and the development would make a “significant contribution to local housing need”.
His view was supported by Gwynedd county council’s own planning officials.
On Monday Gareth Jones, a planning officer, told a meeting of the authority’s planning committee that there was “dire need” for affordable housing and there was “no hard evidence” that the Welsh language would be harmed substantially by the development.
“We would not be able to defend the decision [to reject the application],” he said.
But several local councillors spoke out against the proposals.
‘It will have drastic consequences’
Cllr Huw Rowlands said the development would “have an impact on the Welsh language”.
“If the wrong decision is made, it will have drastic consequences and it will be too late,” he said. “It is a proposal which could cause significant harm.”
Cllr Gareth Williams said the occupants would be from outside the area and their presence would be “detrimental to the culture”.
“Everyone in the local area feels very strongly against it,” he said.
Cllr Gareth Jones added: “There is extreme opposition locally – everyone is against it.”
Cllr Gruff Williams said: “They should locate the houses where the need is, mostly round the Caernarfon area.
“People say we are racists when we are trying to protect our language. It makes it difficult for people to stand up against these policies.”
The proposals were rejected by one vote, with six councillors supporting them and seven voting against.
There will now be a “cooling off” period until the next committee meeting on Sept 30.
Planning officials will draw up responses to the objections before the next meeting, where councillors will vote for a second time on the development.
Small community, isolated on the coast, speaking a dying language and suspicious of outsiders? All the markings of a Lovecraft story there.
I’m sorry, but how is this any different from Farage et al complaining that migrants cannot integrate into British society and therefore being anti migration? Populism in a small community is still populism.
Edit: for the record, I am a proud Welsh speaker, but don’t support this sort of exclusion. If they were intended to be social housing, we should be encouraging more housing where it is viable.
So 18 houses x ~4 people per house would be around 80 people. How is 1000+ people threatened by this?
What is it with Welsh nationalism for the past 5 years? How is shit like this even legal under the union?
My short, but eventful, experience in Gwynedd taught me that they really dislike outsiders. If you’re not one of them, they’re not likely to be pleasant with you. So the council behaving like this doesn’t shock me.
This is NIMBY bullshit. As a Welsh man who grew up in Gwynedd this is embarrassing. If language dies off, then that’s natural progression. These people just didn’t want the development!
Only three quarters of the students speak Welsh at home? Sounds like there is already plenty of English speaking families there then.
Build a wall around them. Let them have their isolation, and we can watch as it turns into Welsh speaking hunger games, but the main chick all the dudes want to fuck is a sheep this time. Obviously.
This is local shop, for local people. There’s nothing for you here!
Good. The Welsh language has a right to and needs to be protected, it’s the last major brythonic language in the uk, a group that is an extremely important part of our history and indeed once across all of england, it’s not only culturally important to the Welsh themselves but to the whole of britain.