Cymdeithas yr Iaith have congratulated Carmarthenshire County Council's planning committee for supporting the community of Waungilwen, Drefach Felindre and for opposing the planning officers' recommendation to approve a development of 13 houses in the village. At a meeting of the planning committee yesterday 23/11/10 local residents and the local county councillor, John Crossley spoke strongly against the proposal that would have such a damaging impact on the language and culture of the small close-knit community. Also speaking was Angharad Clwyd, Dyfed Organiser for Cymdeithas yr Iaith and a local Community Councillor for the Llangeler ward. In her speech when addressing the members she said:"A vote in favour of this development today would be a huge blow to the Welsh language and to the community of Waungilwen; a community where 64% of the population speak Welsh according to the 2001 census. When you as Councillors, see a community fighting so strongly for their future I'd ask you to wholeheartedly support them. "In response to the vote of the Councillors who voted 9 to 8 to reject the application Ms Clwyd said:"The result here is great news for the Waungilwen community who have fought very hard over the last few years to oppose these plans and is testament to their hard work and closeness as a community. I congratulate the Council's planning committee for having the courage to oppose the recommendation of the planning officers, because of the impact of the proposed development would have on the Welsh language and culture of the community, as well as because of the risk of flooding. A few weeks ago a motion was passed at the general meeting of Cymdeithas yr Iaith where we called on the elected representatives of our people to seize control back from the officials, who currently run our County Councils. We are delighted that the planning committee Councillors have shown leadership here and have made a decision based on the impact on our communities rather than listening sheepishly to the planning officers. We ask the County Council's Executive Board to follow the guidance of the planning committee when discussing the future of our communities and our village schools." http://arlein.sirgar.gov.uk/agendas/cym/PCYN20101123/SUM03.HTMhttp://arlein.sirgar.gov.uk/agendas/cym/PCYN20101123/SUM03_01.HTM