Client
Aberdyfi Community Needs Team, Aberdyfi Community Council – Cyngor Cymuned Aberdyfi
Project Leads
Deio Jones
Community Consultation in Aberdyfi – exploring needs, issues, priorities and opportunities
In March 2021 Resources for Change were commissioned by the Aberdyfi ‘Community Needs Team’ to undertake a community consultation in Aberdyfi. Located in Snowdonia National Park and overlooking the stunning Dyfi Estuary on the West Coast of Wales, the village is a popular visitor destination during the summer months. Unfortunately, this popularity is a double edge sword, supporting the local economy whilst also putting pressure on local services and communities.
The group’s initial intention was to focus on the need for affordable and appropriate housing for local people. Of all the properties in the village, 54% are either 2nd homes, holiday lets, or sitting empty, and the inflated property values are pricing 62.3% of local households out of the market.
Working Collaboratively
Working collaboratively with the North-West Wales Rural Housing Enablers’ team and local stakeholders, we developed a more holistic consultation that explored the needs of the local communities, the issues facing them, their priorities, and opportunities for the future.
In addition to local housing needs, we explored a range of diverse topics ranging from local facilities and services to the local economy and the environment. We examined the barriers that local people face within their own community, and how local needs and perceptions have changed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Informing the Local Development Plan
During the summer of 2021 every household in the village was engaged and 234 individual responses were received out of a total population of just over a thousand. And by engaging the Local Planning Authority (Snowdonia National Park) and Gwynedd Council, the consultation was designed to provide key information to inform the process of reviewing of the Local Development Plan scheduled for 2022.
The final report can be found on the community needs team’s website. The intention is that it will be the starting point for an ambitious programme of development, and potentially a full Community Place Plan.
“Deio Jones and R4C have just guided us through the production of Community Needs Survey. The outcome is a focused professionally produced document which is a perfect starting point for a wide range of community projects. It was a pleasure working with him and look forward to doing so in the future.”
Des George: Community Needs Team