Cyngor Gwynedd’s cabinet have voted to endorse a report that seeks to require owners of second homes and holiday lets to apply for planning permission.
The vote comes after changes made by the Welsh Government that allows Local Authorities to use planning law to change the way second homes and holiday lets are dealt with. The changes to the planning framework, known as Article 4 Direction, create three new categories for houses: main home, second home and holiday lets. Cyngor Gwynedd is the first of the Welsh Local Authorities to utilise these powers in an attempt to control the numbers of second homes and holiday lets in their area. This comes after the Local Authority chose to increase the council tax premium on second homes to 150% more than the amount of regular homes.
Cyngor Gwynedd will now hold a public consultation to examine the opinions of local residents regarding the proposals. You can read Cyngor Gwynedd’s full report here.
