In an effort to reduce the number of second home purchasers in the nation, house buyers in Welsh-speaking towns may have to start demonstrating their language proficiency.
In order to address the dearth of affordable housing in Wales, particularly in areas with a high concentration of second homes, the “Fair Chance” proposal has been introduced.
In some places of Wales, second residences account for nearly 40% of all properties, a percentage that has grown further as a result of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the new plan means that Welsh-speakers may be moved to the head of the property line in the newest effort to address Wales’ housing issue.
It is believed that the scheme will be voluntary and sellers may be able to offer their properties to locals for a set period before they go onto the open market to everyone else.
The trend of buying second homes has created a social crisis with a generation of young people unable to buy homes in the places where they grew up, driving migration and fuelling resentment.
The Welsh Government will also present steps to safeguard Welsh place names today at the National Eisteddfod in Tregaron, Ceredigion.
A new Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg with ten members will oversee the initiatives, bringing together specialists to support the preservation of the Welsh language.
Jeremy Miles, the minister for education and the Welsh language, will present an overview of Cardiff’s initiatives to protect Welsh-speaking neighborhoods and to slow the growth of second houses in Tregaron.
‘For the Welsh language to thrive, we need sustainable communities and good job opportunities in the areas where it is widely spoken,’ he said.
‘This isn’t about imposing solutions, so everything we do will be in line with local communities’ aspirations.’
But there is still major concern over whether houses will even be affordable, given their sharp rise in price in recent years.
Critics have called for the supply of affordable housing to increase before the property crisis can be eased.
The Welsh Government said it will work with estate agents in worst-hit communities ahead of the publication of the final Welsh Language Community Housing Plan (WLCHP) in the autumn.
Along with measures to prevent Welsh place names from being eroded by English language replacements, this strategy will also include funding for social enterprises and community housing cooperatives.
Dr. Simon Brook, a professor at Swansea University, was appointed to lead the Commission as a result of an independent study of second homes policy he conducted for the Welsh Government in 2021.
The report prompted several interventions that Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru put into place as part of their Co-operation Agreement, most notably the announcement that councils would have the ability to raise council tax rates on second homes and long-term vacant properties by as much as 300 percent.
Self-catered housing must be rented out for half the year starting in April 2019 to avoid paying higher council tax rates.
As owners struggle with a 100% council tax surcharge, second property numbers have started to decline marginally in counties like Gwynedd, suggesting that the policies are already having an impact.
Despite the interventions, there is still a consensus that not enough is being done to curb the rise of short-term vacation rentals on Airbnb, which has further reduced the supply of available real estate.
Mr. Miles anticipates the Commission to offer more options, but he cautioned that some may be “difficult” to accept.
‘I’ve said many times that the Cymraeg belongs to us all, as does the responsibility for its future,’ he said. ‘We’ll have to be brave and tackle things together that might be difficult.
‘I’m sure that some of the things the Commission will tell us will be challenging, but that’s important – that’s what will help us find the most effective answers!’
The report from Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg will include economic and educational policy issues. Its opinions should be “candid.”
As chair, Dr. Brooks stated that the report’s goal is to “safeguard them for future generations” by “examining the linguistic realities of Welsh-speaking communities.”