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Wales Online
National
Harri Evans

New housing estate will consist entirely of holiday homes

An estate of 16 houses is under construction in an area with a shortage of housing for local people - but they can only be bought as second homes. The properties are now on sale for £285,000 each.

The houses are being built to an exceptionally high standard with quality finishes throughout, according to estate agents Dafydd Hardy, and will each include three bedrooms and two bathrooms. They will also come fitted with solar panels and gardens to the front and rear.

But anyone looking for a home in the village will have to look elsewhere as each one of the 16 properties is restricted by a 12 month occupancy clause which means that the properties cannot be bought as someone's main home. The houses on Parc Del Fryn in Brynteg, Anglesey, can only be bought as second homes because they were granted planning permission as holiday accommodation only.

North Wales Live reported that the 16 houses now on sale are part of the site's second phase of development. Phase one, which occupies the other side of the B5108, has already been built. Planning permission has also been granted for a similar estate less than a quarter of a mile down the road.

Cllr Margaret Murley Roberts said: "This estate was granted permission back in 2010 before I was elected. It is Welsh Government policy to allow for these kinds of estates to be built. Even if the council's planning committee rejected the proposal, the developers could appeal the decision in Cardiff and it would be overturned.

"The same thing is happening down the road in Treetops where a similar kind of estate is going to be built. I spoke against that in 2017 but nothing could be done. This is all to do with Welsh Government policy and nothing else.

"There won't be another estate like this here in the future because we have reached the 15% level of holiday accommodation in the area but it's not down to us as a council, it's down to the Welsh Government who set out the policy. The Welsh Government says it is in favour of these kind of developments which makes it impossible for the Anglesey Council planning committee to do anything about it. Our hands are completely tied on this."

The finished phase one of the Parc Del Fryn estate which stands on the other side of the B5108 to the phase two site which is currently being built (Hadyn Iball / North Wales Live)

Rhun Ap Iorwerth MS said: "I share the community's frustration and disappointment at this holiday home estate in Brynteg and have repeatedly raised this as an example of planning legislation that does not work for the benefit of the community. This looks like an ideal housing estate for first-time buyers and local families, but in reality, they are not available to the local community and the properties are being sold at a high price, in an area where affordable housing is in short supply.

"It is completely at odds with the kind of developments that the island needs, and I will continue to push Welsh Government to ensure that our planning policies reflect the needs of our communities."

A spokesperson for Anglesey Council said: "The council has no policy for housing estates that are restricted to second homes. Such housing estates on the Island are historic ones that were approved based on historic policy that said they could be used only as holiday accommodation.

"These houses/estates had been granted permission for holiday accommodation only, which is why they are not available on the open market as a 'main residence'." The Welsh Government declined to comment and said that this is a specific planning matter for the council.

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