Welsh government announces plans to tackle second homes crisis

The impact of second home ownership on Welsh communities is being addressed by a new three-pronged approach.

The new approach will focus on making housing affordable and available through the introduction of a new regulatory framework and system that will cover planning law.

A statutory registration scheme for holiday accommodation will also be introduced alongside national and local taxation systems that will ensure second homeowners make a fair and effective contribution to the communities in which they buy.

The plan aims to ensure that everyone in Wales has access to good quality, affordable housing.

Minister for climate change, Julie James, said: ‘The continuing rise of house prices mean people, especially younger generations, can no longer afford to live in the communities they have grown up in. A high concentration of second homes or holiday lets can have a very detrimental impact on small communities, and in some areas could compromise the Welsh language being spoken at a community level.

‘We have already taken strides on some of these issues – last year we became the only nation in the UK to give local authorities the power to introduce a 100% council tax levy on second homes. But the urgency and gravity of this situation calls for further intervention, which means real and ambitious actions are delivered at pace, to inject fairness back into the housing system.’

The plan will be piloted in an area of Wales, which will be decided over the summer, where the new measures can be trialled and evaluated before being considered for wider rollout.

A Welsh Language Community Housing Plan, to protect particular interests of Welsh language communities, will be published for consultation in the autumn.

In related news, Swansea Council has announced a £50m investment in housing improvements.

Photo supplied by the Welsh government