The proposed development of 31 homes has been met with serious concerns over existing, insufficient infrastructure and what impact an additional number of homes would have on the village.
Initially the proposed plans were for 13 homes, but recent documents indicate that an additional 18 homes are being considered on top of the existing plan. A consultation period took place in June to gather feedback from residents . During this period, residents of the village were invited to express their views or any concerns in regards to the proposed development.
A number of concerns were raised including the fear that homes would be given to asylum seekers and that the sewage system in the village could not cope with any additional pressure. Traffic chaos was also considered to be an issue as well as potential air pollution from increased traffic.
The meeting on Wednesday – many residents assumed – would be an opportunity to voice their feelings over the proposed development, having been told that they would each have 3 minutes to speak on the issue and voice their concerns. However, the village council informed the residents in attendance that none of the issues that had been raised in the consultation period would be discussed in the meeting and that questions would be taken at a point in the meeting but there would be no answers to the concerns already raised.
This left residents at the meeting visibly deflated as many had arrived with the expectation they would have an opportunity to be heard to the capacity they were afforded in the invitation. One resident said that it was all a pointless exercise aimed at providing information for developers to work on before they submit a full planning application.
Meeting Breakdown
At the meeting the chair Amy Evans provided an outline of the timeline for the proposed development but stressed no application had been made and therefore the council had already submitted the consultation responses and that period had now closed. The chair advised residents to be watchful and look for any notices for full planning and to send in their comments for or against the plans.
The proposed development first entered public view on 19 June, when a statutory pre-application letter was received from Amity Planning. Over the following weeks, the Community Council received a stream of letters and emails from concerned residents. A public engagement session was held on 8 July, followed by a council meeting on 14 July to formally compile concerns.
“All of them had worthy and very reasonable comments,” the chair noted. “They were agreed unanimously and passed on to Amity together.” The official response was submitted by the council on 17 July, one day ahead of the 18 July consultation deadline.
Despite this flurry of activity, the community is now in a holding pattern. “At this time, the council has not had a response from Carmarthenshire County Council or Amity,” the chair confirmed. “There is no formal planning application yet — just a proposal.”
The community council reiterated that the following issues had already been submitted and would not be rediscussed during the meeting due to the consultation period having closed:
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Density: Increase from 13 to 31 dwellings.
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Demographics: Uncertainty about who the homes are for.
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Welsh Language: No mention of impact in planning materials.
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Road Safety: Proximity to school, speeding, and traffic volume.
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Water Pressure: Already low in the area.
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Infrastructure: Insufficient drainage, sewage capacity, and risk of surface flooding.
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Access & Parking: Bottlenecks and lack of existing parking.
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Environment: Removal of hedges for non-eco-friendly fencing.
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Housing Market: Existing unsold homes and no priority for locals.
“This is a very concise list, but it was in detail when it was sent forward,” the chair said. “We ourselves don’t have answers yet — we’ve done all we can for now.”
Confusion Over Affordable Housing vs. Social Housing
One of the evening’s most pressing and complex issues was the definition and management of the proposed affordable housing. County Councillor Bryan Davies addressed the topic despite not being on the panel he was allowed more time than the residents to speak.
“Affordable housing is a sore point, I can understand,” he admitted. “These days, people are very concerned about who will be coming here.”
“I’ve had to liaise with Carmarthenshire County Council to see if there’s a need, It has been made clear that there is a need [for affordable housing], then Amity will be working with Carmarthenshire County Council regarding the allocation of these properties.”
Davies said that the houses will only be given to the people immediately in the area, rather than residents having to worry about them going to or being given to ‘everybody coming from elsewhere.’
“One thing you have got to take into consideration, I’ve heard numerous people, [and] comments that have been circulating around this, or such a thing has happened in another area and another area. I would emphasise not to base your views on what’s happened in other places.”
“So affordable housing [in the area] that has been looked at, it has been identified that there is a need for affordable housing,”
However, when challenged on the difference between “social” and “affordable” housing by resident Alan Evans, Davies acknowledged, “I haven’t got the answer… I’m not going to waffle my way through it.” Mr Evans said that the local view was that the difference was that social housing would be affordable to rent and affordable housing would be available to purchase. He asked Cll Davies to be very clear with his definitions and said that these homes will not be available for local people to purchase at affordable prices.
Davies clarified that if the development proceeds, homes would not be for private sale but for rent via the housing association ATEB, in collaboration with Carmarthenshire County Council.
The chair later clarified that the term “affordable housing” in this context refers to rented, not bought, accommodation. “It’s easier to say affordable, not to buy, but to rent,” she explained.
Infrastructure Hurdles Pinpoint Sewage Issues
Cllr Bryan Davies turned to the strain the development might place on the village’s infrastructure, especially sewage:
“I’ve been told by Amity, and they’ve allowed me to say this, that the sewage works cannot take any more people sitting on the toilet,” Davies stated bluntly, prompting murmurs from the crowd. “That’s the situation we’re carrying now.”
Mr Evans interjected and asked Cllr Davies to clarify how Amity came to have this information and if it was via Dwr Cymru. Mr Evans said: “If this has come via Dwr Cymru then we should also have that information.”
The developer, Amity Planning, confirmed in written correspondence that no planning application would be submitted until drainage and infrastructure issues are resolved. “There is a comprehensive process going on at the moment to liaise with stakeholders to identify whether anything requires amendment,” their statement read.
It was clear that residents of the village wanted to speak and had questions to put to the panel as one woman tried to question the county councillor on the social housing aspect but was told that they hadn’t reached the point in the meeting to take questions.
When questions were taken, the issues that had been outlined as non-discussable were brought up by the residents and put to the panel. Resident Liz Evans said that it was clear that there were very high feelings within the village and that people should be allowed to express those feelings. It was clear that these issues were the major concerns in the room.
“This Isn’t Planning, It’s Plundering”: Resident Speaks Out at Heated Village Meeting
Speaking at the village hall, local resident and journalist Alan Evans delivered a searing critique of the proposed 31-home development, voicing fears shared by many in the rural Welsh community. Mr Evans said:
“If you stand in the village long enough, you’ll see it, the traffic chaos, the near-misses, the emergency vehicles stuck with blue lights flashing. Children are risking their lives just trying to get to school.”
Evans highlighted not only traffic concerns but also issues of infrastructure and public safety:
“You take your life in your hands crossing the road, and your council tax won’t even get the pavement cleaned.”
“We’re dealing with flooding, backed-up sewage, and speeding vehicles. And still, we’re told to make way for more.”
Evans criticised what he sees as a top-down planning process disconnected from the community’s real needs:
“The original plan was for 13 homes. Now it’s 31. That’s not growth, that’s invasion. These aren’t homes our children can afford. They’re not bungalows for older residents. They’re not even for sale in many cases, just handed off in bulk, with no thought to how people will live here.”
Evans’ frustration extended to the perceived power of large developers and the failure of elected representatives to intervene:
“I’ve worked with big developers. I’ve seen the arrogance, acting like it’s all a foregone conclusion. They grease palms. They cross lines. And we’re left with the consequences. This is not planning, this is plundering. A rubber stamp on a developer’s wish list, not a vision for the village we love.”
Evans concluded by saying:
“If you truly cared about the people who live here who pay council tax here, raise children here, look after ageing parents here, you’d invest in homes for them. You’d prioritise proper drainage before you pour concrete. You’d build homes people can afford to buy not just tick boxes for a developer’s wish list and get rich quick scheme. We don’t even have a bus shelter here for children to shelter from the rain and the village doesn’t even get the road swept.”
Another resident Angharad Evans expressed her concern that the process had been arranged during the council recess and that a lot of information may just slip under the radar.
Next Steps in Process
Due to the August recess, the Community Council will not meet again until the third week of September, unless a formal application is submitted before then — in which case, an emergency meeting may be called.
Both the chair and the county councillor reminded residents of their rights during the statutory consultation period that would follow a formal application.
“You will have about three weeks to express your views,” the chair said. “And those views will be officially logged and visible on the planning application portal.”
In closing, the chair reassured residents that while the council currently holds no new authority or answers, their involvement isn’t over.
“We didn’t want to just leave everybody thinking we’re not doing anything about it,” she said. “We’ve done our bit in the month that we had to do it. We listened. We acted. Now we wait.”
Residents Voice Concerns
We spoke to residents following the meeting to get a sense of how the community felt.
Mike Evans – resident of Cynwyl Elfed
We spoke to Mike Evans who said:
“At least it made a point that we’re all together on this. I would say 99% of people are happy with the original development plan of 13 properties, included in that were [properties] for social housing, which as the percentage I think was a fair balance whereas this development for 31 properties, nine properties for sale and 22 for social housing – I don’t think that’s a fair balance at all.”
We asked Mr. Evans if he felt the community was being listened to, to which he said:
“Yes, we’ve got to say that we have been listened to in that the Community Council have responded and called this meeting. I don’t like the fact that the way this company Amity and the Obsidian Homes have timed everything from the original notices and where they were placed. I as one did receive a notification but I live almost opposite.
“Now the thing is that all this has been timed to coincide with the meeting from the local Community Council being the week before, which then meant that the consultation period meant that the three weeks – by the time they have the next meeting – they will not be able to respond. So you know I feel that the whole setup, the timing of it all, I can see how they’re working it now. They’re gonna put this planning application in when the summer recess is on.”
Chris Walker – resident of Cynwyl Elfed
We spoke to another resident, Chris Walker who lives on the main road out of the village. We asked if he felt listened to in the meeting, to which he said:
“No, I feel it’s come too late and you know we need a time to get the village together and get something thrashed out but all we’ve been told really is that we’re powerless. We can’t do anything until the plans have gone in.”
Mr. Walker, being a resident and having lived in the village for 40+ years has been a long-standing witness to the issues that plague the village. We asked him about his time in the community and the problems he has seen over the years, to which he said, “Someone will be killed here one day for sure.
“Why the hell they haven’t they put sleeping policemen down here? You look at all the other villages that have got schools, [they have] sleeping policemen. I came here 42 years ago I think it was. This was a quiet village and predominantly Welsh. I know I’m not [Welsh] but but I’ve got an awful lot of friends that are Welsh and Welsh speaking and I thought that the government’s plan was to further the Welsh language and improve it, you know, make it stronger.”
Impact on the Welsh language was one of the concerns on the list submitted to the community council.
Andy Tasker – resident of Cynwyl Elfed
We spoke to Andy Tasker, another resident who lives on the main road running through the village who said:
“I think it was a kind of powerless meeting because all the community council is saying is they’re powerless. They’ve got no kind of say or power in this.”
“I understand how the social housing is going to be working. When we met with the developers, when they had their community engagement day, they were pushing the local houses for local people, affordable housing. And that isn’t actually the case. It is going to be social housing. Locals aren’t even going to be able to rent these properties. They will be going straight to [the] housing association.
“You know, there isn’t a problem with it being housing association, but it’s the scale. And the fact that it’s not what they’re promising, it’s not going to be local houses for local people. It’s going to be clearing out the council tenants that are in private rentals because it’s costing the council more money, cheap, affordable housing.
“The council is going to make a saving because those tenants can leave private accommodation that’s being paid for by the council. And they could be anywhere in Carmarthenshire, so it won’t be the local people who need the houses in the village. And basically our views are just going to have to sit and wait until planning goes in, which is probably going to be too late by then.”
The Home Office, Welsh Government and Local Authorities
As it stands the Home Office pays local authorities a dispersal grant to house asylum seekers. Wales has also been designated as a ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ and have issued a plan for this.
The plan includes:
Making sure refugees can find new accommodation when they leave asylum accommodation.
Support asylum seekers to get good quality asylum accommodation from the UK Government.
Support refugees to access employment or set up their own business.
Help people seeking sanctuary to avoid poverty.
Promote the Welsh Government as a place for refugees to work.
Help refugee or asylum seeker survivors of domestic abuse to get support.
Try to stop people seeking sanctuary becoming victims of slavery or trafficking.
Make sure the health needs of people seeking sanctuary are understood and reduce barriers to healthcare.
Help children to have a healthy start in life.
From Hotels to Dispersal Accommodation
Migrants, particularly asylum seekers, are initially placed in hotels as contingency accommodation during claim processing. As of March 2025, around 32,345 people remained in hotels — a 42% drop from the peak in September 2023. Once eligible under Section 95 support, individuals are transferred to dispersal accommodation—typically shared flats, houses, or medium‑size sites across local authorities. Dispersal is mandatory and assigned on a no-basis
Funding and Logistics
Local authorities receive an asylum dispersal grant—£1,200 per asylum seeker—to help host accommodation. This enables them to take in people from hotel stays. Once notified, migrants are given at least five days’ advance notice of their move, along with transport arrangements and basic info about the new area.
Strategic Shift & Capacity Building
The government is working to reduce reliance on hotels, which cost an average of £145 per person per night, versus £14 per night for dispersal accommodation. There are about 210–216 hotels currently in use, down from over 400 previously. From 2024 to 2026, the Home Office is phasing out major hotel contracts, including a £2 billion contract with Stay Belvedere Hotels to be terminated by September 2026. Alternatives include student housing, reconfigured dormitories, and decommissioned sites.
Challenges and Timelines
Despite reductions, a large asylum backlog (78,745 active cases as of March 2025) slows the transition out of hotel stays. Each case may translate to multiple family members awaiting accommodation. Labour pledged to end the use of asylum hotels by 2029, but efforts are still “a fair way off.” Experts remain skeptical about meeting this target under current pressures.
Summary: What Happens When Migrants Leave Hotels?
1. Approved asylum seekers are moved from hotel “initial accommodation” to longer-term dispersal housing.
2. Local councils are paid to house them, typically in shared flats or converted medium-size sites.
3. Contracts with hotel providers are ending, while community-based housing is expanding.
4. Reducing hotel use is a priority—but achieving this is slowed by backlog levels and ongoing arrivals.
Featured image . Cynwyl Elfed Village in chaos, by Elkanah Evans
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