Madam,

There is “Disappointment over inflexibility of plans” (last week’s Cambrian News), in relation to the Local Development Plan, we’re told.

Dwyfor Meirionydd’s AM isn’t involved in this piece of Plaid politicking, and quite right he is too.

Gwynedd Council has consistently under-estimated the money it has available, as the notorious Her Gwynedd exercise proved, and so spends too little on roads and schools.

Now the more reactionary elements in Plaid oppose the plan for housing development complaining about a lack of supporting infrastructure!

Welsh speakers are being driven from the area because of a lack of housing. This plan helps to redress that.

Gwynedd Council has stood aside as Harlech College is closed, the college with its long tradition of transforming school leavers and older people without qualifications into university students.

That is exactly the route that many Welsh Welsh speakers would love to pursue, to celebrate their Welsh language and culture and so re-inforce their communities so sorely threatened by the Tory government’s Brexit extremism, and by its ruthless environmental schemes (designed to make viable only the very largest land holdings) which threaten to ignore the real concerns and sensitivity to the environment of the Welsh-speaking agricultural communities.

Equally, many English-speaking Welsh people would love the opportunity to study Welsh at a university here.

People without qualifications are all capable of getting degrees in whatever subjects they choose.

Goodness, this region needs parliamentary politicians who look out for opportunities for the many, our diverse communities, instead of inventing objections and trying to limit legitimate provision for people genuinely in need. In the case of this housing plan, money enough for infrastructue and Welsh language classes is there to be used. Well done you councillors here who passed the project.

Yours etc,

Ian MacIntyre, Shelbourne Court, St John’s Hill, Barmouth.

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