Gwynedd Council’s decision to delay the Article 4 vote is causing homeowners more stress, campaigners say.

Members of the People of Gwynedd Against Article 4 said they were “extremely disappointed that the Cabinet chose not to vote on11 June on whether they will approve the Article 4 Direction which is a blanket and unprecedented use of Article 4 across all of Gwynedd”.

The group has over 2,100 members, are 80 per cent Welsh, and have “had to continuously deal with the extreme stress of the pending negative impact Article 4 is set to have on us local homeowners,” they told the Cambrian News.

“During the scrutiny committee meeting on 16 May the Cabinet chose to not write to mortgage lenders for confirmation on their position with Article 4.

“Their own report sites 8 out of 10 lenders would refuse to mortgage properties due to Article 4,” the group added.

Gwynedd Council previously told the Cambrian News: “A public engagement period was held on the introduction of the Article 4 Direction during August and September 2023 and all responses have received careful consideration.

“The matter was discussed at the Communities Scrutiny Committee on 16 May 2024 and the recommendations of the members of this committee will be included in the report which will be put before the council's Cabinet, for consideration on whether to confirm the Article 4 Direction. The Cabinet meeting will be held before the end of July.

“Due to the election period, the exact date of the meeting is yet to be determined.”

If Article 4 is approved by Gwynedd Council, planning permission will be needed to use properties as second homes or short-term holiday rentals.

The campaign group added: “Nothing discussed during the cabinet meeting on 11 June was urgent enough to warrant the delay of the vote on Article 4.

“In our view, the council should not be deciding what issues to discuss at a meeting on the basis of political agenda. A4 should have been discussed and voted on that day as planned, so the residents of this county have the maximum amount of time to understand the rules and obtain any necessary evidence required to prove their current position.

“The people of Gwynedd should understand the mathematics of the damage Article 4 will cause Gwynedd County.

“If approved, and as a result the price of all the homes in Gwynedd drops by just 5 per cent (as the council claim), the total value of all the residential property in the area will be reduced by £575 million pounds. Gwynedd as a result will become much poorer. An expert economic assessment report our group funded shows it's more likely to be a 15-25 per cent drop in value on every home in Gwynedd.

Gwynedd residents lobbying against the anticipated introduction of the Article 4 Direction have raised 73,000 for a Judicial Review. The money will support a claimant to bring a legal challenge against Article 4.