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A NATIONAL campaign to buy a Welsh village up for sale has been launched this week.
GWLAD leader Gwyn Wigley Evans said the party is willing to co-ordinate the effort to raise £1.25m to buy Aberllefenni, near Corris.
The party is also calling on Welsh local authorities to contribute to the campaign.
‘The entire village has been on the market for 2 years, with no response at all from our existing parties’ said Mr Evans.
‘Everyone knows it’s now time for definite action on the housing front in Wales.’
‘People have asked us if we would be willing to lead on this matter having proposed the idea of a buy-up in the first place, and we are more than happy to do so’.
He pointed to an example in Scotland, where the island of Eigg was bought with public contributions and turned into a community trust, with the Highlands and Islands Council taking a leading role in the process.
‘Gwynedd council should be similarly involved with this project, as Aberllefenni is situated in Gwynedd. They should also seek to persuade other authorities to support the idea.’ he added.
GWLAD chair Sian Caiach said that buying the village of 16 houses and several acres of land was just the first step.
And that managing the enterprise and facilitating public use of it was also just as important in any long term success.
‘That’s why involving our local authorities will be crucial. £1.25m is nothing to these bodies, especially at a time when they are rich on borrowed money and little or no interest to pay on it’ she said.
‘If all 22 local authorities got on board, that would work out at some £54,000 each, which is peanuts really’.
Social housing and community enterprise for local people are amongst the party’s ideas for the site, if the necessary funds can be raised. But other ideas from across the board will also be considered.
GWLAD will now be writing to all 22 local authorities to ask them to consider contributing to the fighting fund to buy Aberllefenni for public use.
Anyone who would like to contribute to the fund or help with the project in any way can contact Gwyn Wigley Evans on gwyn.w.evans@gwlad org.
More details about the exact shape of the Aberllefenni project will be announced in due course.
Gwynedd could buy the lot and use it as starter homes for young people especially those living in the south of the county and the adjacent bit of Powys. Better than diverting it into a 3rd sector “social housing” group who would immediately ship in a load of “difficult, disadvantaged ” cases from the large English authorities renowned for exporting their surplus talent to areas dull enough to accept them. I’m sure the Senedd has funds for this kind of proposition if only they were inclined to use them constructively.