THE Welsh Labour government announced plans to tackle the prevalence of second home ownership and the lack of affordable housing for younger people today.

Climate change minister Julie James confirmed proposals for a “three-pronged approach” to the Senedd which will include the use of national and local taxation systems to ensure that second home owners make a fair contribution to communities.

Ministers also plan to introduce a statutory registration scheme for holiday accommodation and re-examine planning laws, Ms James said.  

The measures will be piloted in a yet to be decided location later this year ahead of a possible national rollout.

Ms James said: “The continuing rise of house prices mean people, especially younger generations, can no longer afford to live in the communities they have grown up in.

“A high concentration of second homes or holiday lets can have a very detrimental impact on small communities, and could compromise the Welsh language being spoken at a community level.

“We have already taken strides on some of these issues – last year we became the only nation in the UK to give local authorities the power to introduce a 100 per cent council tax levy on second homes.

“But the urgency and gravity of this situation calls for further intervention, which means real and ambitious actions delivered at pace.”

The plans take recommendations from a report by Swansea University’s Dr Simon Brooks, which warns that both Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic will increase pressure on the Welsh housing market.

At the beginning of last year, it was estimated that there were nearly 25,000 second homes in Wales and almost 10 per cent of housing stock in areas such as Anglesey were second or holiday homes.