Eryri national park insists second homes policy not 'discriminatory' to English people

22 January 2025, 09:51 | Updated: 22 January 2025, 12:43

A Welsh national park has insisted its second homes policy is not "discriminatory" to English people.

On Wednesday, Eryri National Park's authority (also known as Snowdonia) voted to make planning permission a requirement for anyone wanting to change a property into a second home.

Gwynedd Council has already introduced such a measure, with the national park stretching across parts of the county and neighbouring Conwy.

It comes amid a crackdown by the Welsh government on second home ownership, including allowing councils to increase the council tax premium on second homes to 300%.

While the decision on where to set the premium is up to individual councils, it has led to a surge in the number of houses on the market in some parts of Wales.

The government says it made the change to ensure people in Wales had access to "good quality, affordable housing".

In 2021, then climate change minister Julie James outlined the government's "three-pronged approach" and said a "high concentration of second homes or holiday lets can have a very detrimental impact on small communities".

Eryri National Park authority consulted with the public on its proposal for an Article 4 direction, which limits how much work can be carried out without needing planning permission from the local authority.

One of the comments received as part of the consultation was that the policy was "incredibly racist" as it "aimed to reduce second home ownership by English people".

But in response, the authority said the direction was "not considered to be discriminatory" as it "applies equally to everyone regardless of national origin".

The authority said the change would "have the same effect on a Welsh person as it does on an English person".

"The process is democratic, does not breach any human rights and has followed the correct process laid out in law," the authority said in its report.

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The change in policy, which will be operational from 1 June, has been welcomed by campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith (the Welsh language society).

Dr Jeff Smith, chair of its communities group, said it was "an important first step to start limiting the number of second homes and holiday accommodation in Eryri".