NATIONAL Park members have voted unanimously in favour of new planning rules focussed on second homes.

At a meeting of the National Park Authority’s Planning and Access Committee, members voted unanimously in support of proceeding with further preparatory work on the principle of implementing the Article 4 Direction for the Eryri National Park area – which would mean homeowners would need to obtain planning permission to change the use of the house into a second home or holiday let. Planning Officers will now prepare a report to establish whether second homes and short-term holiday lets are having a detrimental effect on the supply of local housing for residents.

The work will also consider the effectiveness of implementing the Article 4 Direction in bringing the housing stock back within the reach of local people. Authority members will consider the findings of the report in a meeting of the Planning and Access Committee early in 2024, and will determine whether or not to give formal notice of the intention to implement the Article 4 Direction.

Cllr Elwyn Edwards, Chair of the National Park Authority’s Planning Committee said: “Thriving communities and the Welsh language are some of the National Park’s special qualities. They can only be safeguarded for the future by ensuring a sufficient supply of housing for local people who wish to live in their local community and thus sustaining this precious way of life. If research finds that second homes and short-term holiday lets do have an effect on the local housing supply, then these new measures will provide us with an important tool to help protect the local housing stock and bring them within the reach of local people.”