Last week, Marc Evans, 43, had his application to construct a modest family dwelling in his garden rejected for a second time. Planning officers said the two-storey property would "not respect the traditional character" of neighbouring homes, predominantly stone-built quarrymen's terraced houses.
Marc argues Llanberis features a variety of housing styles and photographed the 21 new properties built in the village since 2011 to make his point. "Many are large buildings with masses of glazing and features such as wood cladding and overhanging roofs," he said. "Several were built by the council itself. In contrast, our proposed family home is much more traditional with a pitched slate roof and local stone cladding. It's not a multi-storey in glass, and no one locally has objected to the scheme."
Cyngor Gwynedd's Dôl Afon Goch affordable homes on a former library site in Llanberis were completed in late 2025. They were the first houses built by the county council for more than 30 years. Marc claims their design contrasts significantly with older houses nearby.
"The rules seem to be different for local people and those coming here from outside the area with deeper pockets. It's a scandal and it's very frustrating," he said.
Tourism and housing pressures
Llanberis, at the base of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) beside Llyn Padarn, one of Wales' largest natural lakes, has seen its profile rise as a tourist hotspot. Homes have been bought up as second homes and holiday lets, reducing availability and driving up prices. At one stage, a sticker campaign was launched across the village in protest at the surge in Airbnb properties since the Covid pandemic.
According to data analytics platform AirROI, there are currently 99 active Airbnb listings in the village, with average nightly rates of £190 and annual earnings of approximately £25,700. AirROI said: "Supply has held steady year over year while revenue and nightly rates climbed - a mature market where existing hosts capture more value per listing."
Marc, a former teacher now working as a project manager at Anglesey Solar, lives in a row of terraced houses originally built for families employed at the nearby former Dinorwic slate quarries. He shares the home with his wife Kellie, also a former teacher originally from Deiniolen, and their children Leo, aged 11, and Isla, aged eight.
A new home for a growing family
The family want to construct a more suitable dwelling in their garden alongside their existing property. "Our house is fine but it's too small for a growing family and it lacks modern amenities," Marc explained. "We're looking to complement what's here, not knock it down. Children have a simpler perspective on life and Isla can't understand why this is happening – why we can't have a new house when there are so many other properties in the village with more modern designs."
He argued planning regulations need to be recalibrated to support local families who want to remain in their communities. Without this, he said, cultural decline would persist across Gwynedd's towns and villages. "Houses here are affordable for people outside the area who earn three to four more times than local residents do," he stated. "A lot of the new homes built here are owned by people with addresses in London. I realise we can't keep Llanberis secret forever but the planning system must do more to slow the trend. If it doesn't, Llanberis will be like Abersoch in 10 years time - less Welsh language spoken and the primary school closed. We need tourism here but there has to be a balance. Currently, not enough is being done - it seems like local people are being left to fail. Councillors need to show more conviction on planning matters."
According to the latest Cyngor Gwynedd data from October 2025, Abersoch has 57.8% of homes as holiday lets, second homes or empty, while Llanberis stands at 9.8%. Marc contends there is a noticeable upward trend in Llanberis.
Design concerns and objections
The Evans family are hoping to build a three-bedroom home with an inverted layout, placing the kitchen and living space on the first floor. Because of the shape of the garden, the new-build can only be accommodated with its gable end facing the road, meaning the roofline would slope in a contrasting direction to neighbouring terraced properties.
Planning officers argue this is significant because Llanberis sits at the heart of the Dinorwig Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest, a designation recognising its distinguished quarrying heritage. The architect has redesigned the dwelling so it features no windows on one side, ensuring it won't overlook the family's existing home. A proposed raised platform area, accessed from the front floor, has been reduced in size, but officers still fear it will overlook an adjacent property at the rear and create a "noise nuisance".
The neighbouring property is Capel Preswylfa, a former Presbyterian chapel built in 1882 that closed a century later. It now operates as a residential flat, topped by an Airbnb with its own raised decking. Marc said: "The lower storey is subterranean with no windows at the back. The first-floor apartment for 12 people is an Airbnb owned by someone in the Peak District - but the planners seem to want to protect these Airbnb owners over the needs of local people."
A planning report deemed the proposed design to be at odds with the neighbouring terraced properties, concluding it would not "blend in". Given the plot's hillside location, officers warned it would also "stand out in the landscape", with its positioning likely to have a detrimental impact on the adjoining property where the family currently reside.
Despite this, the application received backing from Cllr Gwilym Evans, who represents Llanberis on Cyngor Gwynedd. The planning report noted: "The local member emphasises that granting a dwelling house for a local family will assist to reduce the real shortage of housing for local residents that already exists in the village - and has an impact on the number of pupils in the local school."
In the meantime, Marc's architect has produced a second redesign, with hopes that a fresh application will be lodged shortly. Cyngor Gwynedd was approached for a response.
