Our picturesque seaside town is famous for colourful houses – but newbuild homes are ruining it… they don’t fit in
OWNERS of pastel-coloured homes in a picturesque seaside town are rebelling after being threatened with dozens of new-builds – fearing an influx of AirBNB holiday-makers.
Residents in the North Wales resort of Conwy are complaining about the prospect of “wealthy incomers” snapping up the new properties a developer is demanding.
Fears have been raised by locals in the seaside town of Llanfairfechan, not just that the new properties would spoil the look of the place but also could overwhelm roads and its one GP surgery.
Yet supporters say the scheme might provide much-needed housing helping first-time buyers who are struggling to get a foot on the property ladder.
Housing firm Castle Green Homes, based in the nearby Denbighshire city of St Asaph, have submitted plans for a 6.3-acre greenfield site close to the A55 in Conwy.
The proposals would provide a mix of two, three and four-bedroom properties – with 10 of the 55 homes set aside for “affordable housing”.
The 3,600-population town has been acclaimed for both the attractiveness of its existing Victorian-era buildings and the landscape views across towards the island of Anglesey.
But reaction to the threatened development has now turned sour, with angry battles waging on Facebook over whether Conwy council should give the company the thumbs-up or not.
Many protesters in Wales have long been angry about “second-homers” and AirBNB renters snapping up properties but barely spending any time themselves across the Severn Bridge.
Among those angered have been others living along the North Wales coast, in Nefyn, as well as fellow seasiders in Pembrokeshire’s Newport.
And the latest proposals have rankled residents not only in Llanfairfechan but also neighbouring Penmaenmawr.
There are some hopes that locals could sweep up any new homes themselves, “upgrading”, so letting lower-priced properties become available to younger investors.
Yet one Llanfairfechan resident, while admitting there was a “desperate need” for more housing, warned: “If the houses are going to be £250,000-£500,000 it is difficult to envisage how they would benefit people at the lower end of the income scale.
“It is quite likely that relatively wealthy incomers, either retirees or commuters to the cities of the north west of England, will come into the village from over the border, essentially creating a more dormitory feel to the village.”
A neighbour agreed buyers from further afield could be tempted by the location.
He said: “It would be naive in the extreme to think that this site, with magnificent views of sunsets over Anglesey close to a major A road, mountain behind and sea in front, is going to be altruistically developed for starter homes and social housing.”
Complaints were also made at a meeting of Llanfairfechan town council – including that the proposed new estate would only have one access road into it, amid existing “traffic pressures”, while the GP surgery could also struggle to cope with increased demand.
The council meeting’s minutes also highlighted how similar local developments had served up “boxy rooms” in new-build homes.
Yet Castle Green Homes has defended its plans, while also vowing to hand over “a series of financial contributions” towards local facilities and infrastructure.
The firm insisted: “The new homes, roads and associated landscaping proposed will be designed and constructed to a high standard, and will be entirely in keeping with the context of the local area.
“The development will offer a well-considered and attractive place to live for future local residents.”
Llanfairfechan recently hit the headlines when council chiefs ordered its paddling pools to be closed for last month’s bank holidays, over fears children could slip over.
Now this Llanfairfechan housing revolt joins a spate of similar protests against new-build developments in Britain’s seaside towns and villages.
Some 51 new properties have been earmarked for Wells-next-to-the-sea in North Norfolk, close to where neighbours have also condemned what was dubbed a new “Bond villain”-esque “monstrosity”.
New homes already put up in Bollington in Cheshire have fuelled anger after apparently being left to rot – while residents moving into a new estate in New Waltham, Lincolnshire, found themselves unable to park on their own drives.
A family were devastated after their £345,000 dream newbuild in Grimsby turned out to be a home from hell – while dozens of residents of a Hartlepool estate had to shower with bottled water for a week when their water supply was contaminated.