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A councillor has called for a formal and sincere apology from a council following a failed crackdown on second homes, which ended up costing taxpayers £465,000. Cyngor Gwynedd was pioneering in implementing a requirement for planning permission before a property could be converted into a second home or holiday let. However, this initiative, known as Article 4, was overturned by the High Court.
The court found that flawed and incomplete information had been presented to councillors when the policy was approved, a decision that has sparked criticism. Gruffydd Williams condemned the council’s handling, stating, “The council should apologise profusely… for the losses they have caused by presenting defective papers to the cabinet.” Despite the legal setback, the council expressed disappointment with the ruling but maintained that the reasons behind Article 4 remain sound. Attempts to appeal the court’s decision were unsuccessful.
Gwynedd, which has the highest concentration of second homes in Wales, aimed to protect its Welsh-speaking communities and improve housing access through the introduction of Article 4 by restricting the conversion of main residences into second homes or short-term holiday lets. Opponents, including a group from Abersoch, successfully persuaded the High Court that the reports provided to the council were misleading. Notably, the court’s judgment does not affect areas within Gwynedd and Conwy that fall under Eryri National Park.
The financial cost of implementing and defending Article 4 has reached £465,654 to date, covering legal fees, Welsh government funding, council match funding, staffing, and administration. Williams emphasized the original purpose of the policy: “The whole point of putting Article 4 in place was so that local people had some kind of chance to buy houses in this area, rather than everyone flowing from here to Bangor, Caernarfon, Cardiff and beyond.” Although he supports the policy’s intent, he criticized the council for mistakes that have stalled progress, adding that any future attempts must avoid similar errors. “It must be looked at realistically, and the correct papers must be presented, because we don’t want the same mess again,” he said, calling for the council to take responsibility for taxpayers’ losses
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