Change Language
National News
|
| 02.07.08 - Housing |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by Brynle Williams AM |
| Wednesday, 02 July 2008 00:00 |
|
I would like to use my contribution to focus on the situation in rural communities across Wales. I find it unacceptable that after ten years of the Assembly, young people, with good jobs in their local communities, are being forced out, because living there is unaffordable I don’t believe there has been anywhere near the amount of land being made available for housing in small communities, to allow them to grow naturally over time. And I’d also say that the type of housing isn’t matching local needs You could argue the case that that smaller one and two bedroom flats would better suit retired couples in a village who no longer need their 4-bed house, but don’t want to move away from their friends and family. Rural wales needs to have key workers close to their place of work. I know of one young couple with four jobs between them, in agriculture and forestry, and they have been given no opportunity, despite fighting their case for over four years, to build a house in the community where they live and work. Without homes for the younger generation, there’s no long-term future for rural communities – more schools will be forced to close, more small businesses will go under. And I would hope that despite the Assembly being so late in acknowledging the problem with rural housing, it can start putting a real priority on meeting the needs of young people in rural Wales. |