Can building your own home tackle housing crisis?

Mirain Llŷn Roberts, from Aberdaron, and her family are having to live with her parents as their rental home was changed to an AirBnB property

Could building your own home be one answer in areas where local people say they are struggling with rising house prices?

That is the hope of residents like Mirain Llŷn Roberts, a native of Aberdaron in Gwynedd, whose family are still living with her parents.

There are calls for self-builds to be made easier to allow young people to stay in the places they grew up.

Permission has been granted for five self-build plots for affordable homes on the outskirts of the village, where the council has said it has "a huge housing crisis" - even though it was initially recommended for refusal by officials.

But members of the council, Cyngor Gwynedd, overturned that suggestion and there are calls for further policy changes.

Officials had wanted the proposal in the Llŷn peninsula to be rejected, citing concerns about the "detrimental impact on the local landscape" and potential "urban sprawl onto greenfield land in open countryside".

The local authority said it was now working on a new Local Development Plan. It will include a review of housing needs, it is keen to identify potential development sites, and it may establish more self-build plots.

Ms Roberts wants to remain in the village, which faces the same problems as many other parts of rural Wales: second homes and house prices out of reach for locals.

According to a recent survey the average price of a house in Aberdaron was £376,114, which is within the reach of only 2% of the area's residents

She now hopes to build on one of the five plots and establish a permanent home for her family.

“This is a golden opportunity – especially for local Welsh-speaking young people,” she said.

“Without us, there will be no community left in villages like Aberdaron.

"If you look at Abersoch, the primary school had to close because young people are being priced out of their own villages and communities.

"That’s the fate awaiting small villages like Aberdaron if there aren’t plans to build affordable homes that allow us to stay and keep the language alive.

"When you look around, there are hardly any people my age who have been able to remain – we’re being forced out, and people are having to move to larger towns like Pwllheli or Caernarfon.

"It’s not rental homes we need; we need homes we can own, so we can live here permanently and build a lasting community."

"For most people, the goal is to eventually own their own home, but unfortunately, those opportunities are increasingly rare," says councillor Gareth Williams

Local county councillor Gareth Williams called current policies “flawed”, and said more developments of this kind should be encouraged.

"It made no sense to me how we, as a council, could recommend refusing an application like this, given the situation we’re in," said Mr Williams.

"We’re facing a housing crisis here on the Llŷn peninsula, with our young people being priced out of the market.

"We receive numerous applications from big companies wanting to build housing estates in our rural areas, but in my view, that doesn’t address the real need, especially when the average house price is over £370,000.

"Applications like this are what actually meet that demand, don’t they?"

Aberdaron is a popular holiday destination

“Our young people have no hope – they’re moving away, and we’re losing our communities," Mr Williams added.

"We’re seeing declining numbers in our schools… what could be better than, in this case, five local families settling down, with their children attending the local school and the community thriving?

"There’s nothing wrong with rental homes, but they’re not for everyone, are they? For most people, the goal is to eventually own their own home, but unfortunately, those opportunities are increasingly rare."

The council said a “lack of detailed information” was initially submitted with the application, but after reassessment, the recommendation was changed to approve it.

“As a council, we are committed to ensuring that the people of Gwynedd have access to suitable and affordable housing in their communities.

“There are planning policies in place that ensure an appropriate mix of housing in suitable locations within the Gwynedd planning authority area.”

The council said it hoped to provide more self-build plots in the coming years.