Tensions Mount over Property Development in Welsh Speaking Areas - Damage to Language Condemned

The struggle to protect the Welsh tongue from the adverse effects of continued migration into Wales is reaching a boiling point and follows up on news reports earlier this month on moves by the Welsh government to force consideration by local Councils of the negative impact on the language caused by property development schemes.  

Concerns continue to mount over the threat posed to the Welsh tongue by property development in Welsh speaking areas. This week the web site "This Is South Wales" has a report under the headline "Fears For Welsh Langauge - If More Land Earmarked For Development In Pontardduelas".   Byron Davies, member of the Welsh Assembly, is quoted assessing the impact of housing development on the language.  In the article Davies states that increased property development, as is now proposed by the Swansea Council, would "Marginalise Welsh in one it's heartlands".  Davies continued, "Swansea Council says itself that Pontarddulais is a language sensitive area  which at the moment has 40% of its population able to speak Welsh.  If a lot more people move in, the percentage of Welsh speakers within the population as a whole will natuarally fall and will drop below the level at which the language is viable.  Pontarddulais is on the front line in the fight to keep Welsh alive so large scale house building on top of what has already been permitted could be very damaging."

In a seperate incident this week in Anglesey, tensions erupted over a proposal for a huge property development scheme. There were charges of mis-use of government funds by a group in favour of the development scheme who staged a protest in favour of the construction of a massive Leisure Resort. The scheme was rejected by the local Council but is scheduled to again go before the Council and still may be approved. Such an outcome would most likely be condemned by language activists and cited as evidence of treachery by local officials against the Welsh language.  As reported by "BBC - North West Wales", the Welsh language campaign group "Cymdeithas Yr Laith" charges that a government funded organisation calling itself "Communities First" took part in the public demonstration in support of the development scheme in opposition to the interests of the Welsh language.  

Below is a statement issued by the Welsh Government earlier this month. This was included by Transceltic in an October 13, 2013 Blog article entitled "Government Acts to Minimise Damage to Welsh Tongue Caused by Property Developers": 

The Welsh Government  have announced on their web site that local planning authorities in Wales will be required to consult with the office of the Welsh Language Commissioner (Meri Huws) when preparing local development plans.  This move is intended to mitigate disruption to Welsh speaking areas caused by property development.  The announcement was made on the Government's website under the following headline: "Housing and Regeneration Minister, Carl Sargeant, today published guidance on how the Welsh language should be considered in the planning system". In making the announcement, Minister Sargeant is quoted as follows:

• We recognise that the planning system can help to create the social and economic conditions which give people the opportunity to speak Welsh. This revised TAN provides local authorities with clarity regarding how Welsh language considerations should feed into the preparation of their Local Development Plans.
• The guidance means that local planning authorities who have identified the language as an important local issue, must in future take the language into consideration as part of their Local Development Plan (LDP) and must consult the Welsh Language Commissioner when preparing and reviewing the Plan. In this way planning authorities will be able to use their LDP to mitigate the impacts on the language that can result from new development.

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Fears-Welsh-language-land-earmarked-development/story-20008504-detail/story.html#axzz2jJQ32scL

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-24751452