Cymdeithas yr iaith have expressed concern that Developers will succeed in pushing a controversial housing development past Carmarthenshire Planning Committee tomorrow, at the County Hall in Carmarthen at 10am, which could undermine a Welsh-speaking community in the Teifi Valley. A proposed 50 house development by Eatonfield company was rejected in December 2007 by Carmarthenshire County Council on the grounds that such a development would undermine the language of the local community. The 50 house development included a token 15 number of "affordable" houses.

The company have now resubmitted an application for a smaller development of 31 4 bedroom houses by simply leaving out the "affordable" homes thus ensuring that all will be beyond the reach of the local community. The company are attempting to pull wool over the Council's eyes by claiming that planning permission granted back in 1990 is still valid in that they commenced work on an access road within the necessary 5-year period. Local people reject this entirely and will be represented by spokespeople at the Planning Committee tomorrow.One of those speaking at the meeting will be local community councillor, Angharad Clwyd, who is also Cymdeithas yr Iaith's organiser in the area. In advance of the meeting she said:"It is despicable that the company are trying to pull wool over the Council's eyes by making such a spurious claim. We shall again be calling on the Council to reject the application. The need in the area is for social housing and Cymdeithas yr Iaith are campaigning for this in our "Right to Rent" campaign. At the very least the Council could insist on a partnership scheme with the developers similar to the "First Steps" scheme adopted by Conwy Council. This would mean that the houses would be offered to a list of local people for two-thirds the market price with the Council making up the difference. The houses would then revert to the Council when the people who bought them at the subsidized price moved on."http://www.sirgar.gov.uk/agendas/cym/PCYN20081009/REP03_04.HTM#P1239_75261