A semi-derelict farm cottage on Anglesey has found itself at the centre of a planning storm over its potential use. Prospective buyers looking for a rural idyll beneath Holyhead Mountain have been shocked to discover it can only be used as a holiday let.
Gors y Twr, Llaingoch, was in agricultural use until it lost its roof in a winter storm five years ago. In 2021 its owner was granted planning consent for conversion to a three-bedroom holiday let and the property has been on the market for some time at £175,000.
Potential buyers have viewed the property only to be disheartened by its planning restriction. They included a woman looking to return home to her roots who expressed outrage on social media when she realised the constraints.
She wrote: “I’m looking to buy a detached family home in the area – I grew up on the mountain – but I can’t afford to buy what I need anywhere. I can however afford this as a home renovation project. It would be a labour of love, where I grew up. Opportunities like that are rare.
“(It’s) perfect, except the clause for it to be sold as holiday let only. I’m just gutted that this has made it impossible, not just to me. I keep coming across so many restrictions on properties/land inhibiting local people from building genuine homes.”
Her post triggered a massive reaction on an island that’s wilting under a housing crisis. In recent years, Anglesey has seen soaring property prices, up to eight times average local salaries, affecting people’s ability to buy their own homes. A surge in holiday lets is partly blamed for the trend. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
“What the hell?” fumed a woman on learning of the Gors y Twr restriction. “And yet there are families almost on the homeless list because they can’t find permanent homes?? Crazy!” A man added: “I’m astounded. It’s so daft you would think it was made up. So it can be renovated to a three-bed holiday home. But not a home for a family to move into and settle down and support the community?”
The tumbledown farm cottage has been declared structurally sound
(Image: CPD/Planning document)
New-builds in places like Brynteg and Porth Llechog (Bull Bay) have similar occupancy restrictions. Decisions like these have fuelled anger against the planning system that encourages them.
An Anglesey resident said: “There’s about a dozen new semi-detached homes built near me all on for a really reasonable price – every single one of them are sat empty and have been for months! Why? Because they can only be sold and used as holiday lets! The thing I don’t understand is there’s not even a market for them – people don’t want the holiday lets. So why not let locals buy them? It makes no sense to me!”
Gors y Twr is around 150 years-old, its name meaning “marsh of the tower”. This is a historic reference to Holyhead Mountain, whose Welsh name is Mynydd Twr, derived from the signalling tower built on its summit by the Romans.
According to the property’s selling agents, the former farm cottage comes with a “generous plot” with an attached shippon barn and surrounding yard. Despite its appearance, a structural surveyor declared it to be in relatively good condition: it had been well-maintained until gales damaged part of its roof. The rest was taken down for safety reasons.
Despite this, some people suspect demolition and a new-build would be needed. Even without this, there is a suspicion the cost of refurbishment would be too steep for potential buyers looking for affordable properties.
In April 2021 the holiday let application was opposed by Trearddur Community Council. Members argued there were already “too many holiday properties in the area”. There were also concerns over access – the property lies down a narrow country track – and its location in Anglesey’s National Landscape (AONB).
But permission was granted by Anglesey Council planning officers in May 2021 under delegated powers. Consent came with a string of conditions, and not just occupancy curbs: among them was a requirement to complete the conversion within five years.
Inside the attached shippon barn
(Image: CPD/Planning document)
Why planning consent was granted
Although there have been howls of indignation against the local authority for giving permission, the planning rules governing such properties are not set by Anglesey Council. When it comes to the conversion of traditional rural buildings, the authority must operate under national policy as defined in Planning Policy Wales. The Joint Local Development Plan (JLDP) for Anglesey and Gwynedd must be consistent with this policy.
This favours conversion not for residential use but for economic use, such as business, leisure, industrial, sports and, crucially, tourism. A council spokesperson said: “Despite the pressure to convert rural buildings for residential purposes, there is a presumption against this use locally and nationally, with economic use being favoured.
“Rural diversification is important. Individual dwellings in the open countryside is not considered rural diversification and there are other policies to provide housing across Anglesey.”
Under national guidance, Anglesey Council had little option but to approve planning for a holiday let
(Image: CPD/Planning document)
That’s not quite the end of the matter, however. If a property has been unsuccessfully marketed for employment for a “sufficient period” – presumably the five-year condition – then its conversion into an affordable dwelling to meet local need could be supported.
Any such application would need to clear certain hurdles, such as the building being structurally sound with no extensive alterations needed. Architectural features and traditional materials must also be retained so that original character is not lost.
“If the county council was to receive an application for residential use, the applicant would first need to demonstrate that employment use is not viable,” said the spokesperson. “Only then could it be converted into an affordable unit to meet a specific local demand. An open market dwelling would not be supported.”
In cases where traditional rural properties are shown to be economically unviable, Anglesey Council would support alternative uses, such as homes. The spokesperson said: “Making use of dormant buildings reduces the need to develop on greenfield land.
“It conforms with the principle of sustainable development that is core to the JLDP strategy. Furthermore, finding suitable alternative uses for these buildings can contribute to supporting and enhancing the environment and the rural economy, together with protecting the traditional social fabric of rural areas.”
Anglesey Council has launched a Home Buy Scheme for first-time buyers and others who can’t afford a house on the open market. Funded by Council Tax premiums on second homes and long-term empty properties, the scheme has so far helped nine people to buy their own home.
Marketing details for Gors y Twr can be found here. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter – sent every Friday
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