Cyngor Gwynedd have announced that they have bought land in Caernarfon, Llanystumdwy and Mynytho in order to build houses in order to respond to the local housing emergency. The aim is to build houses on these sites as part of the Tŷ Gwynedd building programme, and to complete 90 houses under this scheme by 2027.
If planning permission is granted, the houses will be available to rent for an affordable price or to buy through a joint equity scheme. The aim of the plan is to provide affordable homes for local people that cannot rent or buy on the open market at the moment, but also don’t qualify to have access to social housing.
The plan is part of Gwynedd Council’s Housing Action Plan, worth around £140 million, to try to get to grips with the increasing demand from local people for affordable housing in their area.
Craig ap Iago Cyngor Gwynedd Housing and Property Cabinet Member, said:
‘It’s well-known that there are not enough suitable homes for the people of Gwynedd in our County at the moment, and the need is still greater than the supply. We have more than 5,000 individuals on the social housing register and we are facing a homelessness crisis where the Council is having to place a record number of people in emergency accommodation. We as a Council are doing as much as we can to tackle this crisis, by buying private property and offering incentives to bring empty houses back into use.
‘Alongside plans to bring housing back into the hands of Gwynedd residents, it’s vital that new homes are built, and buying development land is the first step in making that a reality. These developments will be necessary to provide the basic human right of safe and decent homes for the people of the County.’
Carys Fôn Williams, Head of Cyngor Gwynedd’s Housing and Property Department, said:
‘As a department, we are committed to building affordable, high quality homes for the people of Gwynedd, and I am very proud to see these key elements of our Housing Action Plan progressing well.’
They encourage anyone that has an interest in selling land or property to the Council to contact them directly via email or by phoning 01766 771000. If you want to see if you are eligible to apply for Tai Teg, you can find more information on Cyngor Gwynedd’s website.
