Hundreds of protestors gathered in Caernarfon on Saturday to protest against plans to build eight thousand homes in Gwynedd and Ynys Môn.

The demonstration,  led by the Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg’s local campaign group, called for the development plan to be put on hold until research has been completed to measure the local need for housing and services in every community in the county. Gwynedd and Ynys Môn are currently consulting on their local development plans.

Speaking at the rally, author Angharad Tomos who addressed the crowd in the town:  “This isn’t an idea from outside that is being imposed on us, like Land and Lakes, but a plan which is being put to us by our own council - Gwynedd Council.”

“I’m tired of saying NO to everything. I want to say ‘yes’ for once … YES to local development, on the condition that we develop the county on our terms, and for the benefit of Gwynedd’s communities. If John Wyn Williams [cabinet member for planning on Gwynedd Council] is a man who likes to take a risk, better that he takes a risk with a meaning to it. Take a risk, dare to tell Cardiff, ‘We reject this plan, and we have our own plan - a plan for the benefit of Gwynedd’s communities.”

“We’ve got a simple message. Say NO to this alien development plan and YES to to a truly local development plan.”

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg launched its own Planning Bill in the Senedd in Cardiff recently in order to transform the national planning system. The Property and Planning Bill, drafted by the language pressure group, outlines a package of changes in order to protect Welsh speaking communities as well as expanding its use in every part of Wales.  

Robin Farrar, Cadeirydd Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, who was brought up in Mynydd Llandygái added: “8,000 homes in the area would have a fatal impact on the Welsh language. These councils have the chance to lead the way for others, and really challenge the Government’s statistics as much as they can. They should research in detail and comprehensively  into local needs before earmarking one inch of land for developers. We are glad so many councillors, authors, campaigner and others have stated their support for our campaign already.”

“In a recent meeting, Welsh Government officials admitted that local authorities are too fixated on the national population projections. Our legislative proposals show how the planning system could be transformed. We offer a vision of the type of system which owuld work in favour of our communities rather than undermining them. We’re confident our document is far more compatible with the needs of communities than the Government’s plans.”

Among the proposals in Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s Bill are plans to: make the language a material planning consideration across Wales so that planning applications can be rejected on grounds of language impact; make language impact assessments compulsory on developments above a certain size; and establish satisfying local needs as the purpose of the planning system, instead of meeting national housing targets based on historic patterns