A MEETING has been held in Aberdyfi opposing plans to build 401 houses in the seaside village.

Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP, Liz Saville Roberts, and Senedd Member, Mabon ap Gwynfor, held the meeting to reinforce their opposition to plans to build the executive houses, a move fiercely opposed by the local community.

Local councillors attended the meeting, which took place on the site of the proposed Hillside Park development.

The historic planning application, which dates back to the 1960s, has been revived by by Hillside Park Ltd who have already had their proposals rejected by the High Court and Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court hearing took place on Monday, 4 July, and is expected to give a final ruling in the autumn.

Liz Saville Roberts MP and Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said: “We were glad of the opportunity to meet with town and county councillors in Aberdyfi to reaffirm our collective opposition to this wholly unsuitable scheme which would bring absolutely no benefit whatsoever to the local community.

“Local residents have made it abundantly clear that they don’t want to see the hillside above Aberdyfi disappearing under bricks and mortar simply to satisfy the greedy pockets of unscrupulous developers.

“What we need in Aberdyfi and in other areas of Dwyfor Meirionnydd is more social housing to meet the specific needs of our communities. There is nothing in this development which fulfils local demand – these houses are not planned with local people in mind.

“This proposal actively works against the interests of the local community. The houses have been earmarked as open market properties that families in the area simply won’t be able to afford.

“This development will only pile more pressure on existing services, particularly health, education and transport, to meet additional demand whilst the utilities infrastructure in Aberdyfi would collapse if these houses were permitted.

“Having had successive appeals thrown out at both the High Court and Court of Appeal and with no demand from the local community for this proposal, one has to question the real motives behind the developer’s persistence in pursuing this case to the Supreme Court.

“Are they hedging their bets by playing legalistic games at the expense of the public purse by monetizing lapsed planning applications?

“One thing is certain, there is collective opposition to this proposal - it is all about making profit rather than meeting local need and it will be local residents and the surrounding environment that will pay the price if this application isn’t quashed.”

Hillside Park Ltd has been asked to comment.