Gŵyr Community Land Trust CiC

09/04/2026

Gower Land Trust CIC - winding up

As people will know, our proposal to build 14 new zero carbon affordable homes in Bishopston was refused planning in December. After taking some time to process this, we have made the sad decision to wind up Gwyr CLT as a formal organisation. It has been a wild roller coaster over the last 5 years, we have had real heart aches, moments of incredibly challenging conflict, but also made friends for life, and gained huge amounts of experience.

We started out as a group of strangers, meeting in a cafe in Mumbles, all sharing the same terrible experience of insecure rental housing, with a determination to do something about it, for ourselves and other people in our community. We didn’t know the first thing about developing housing, and it has been a huge journey even to get where we did, one which took us all around the UK, being welcomed into other Community-led housing projects on visits, and which connected us with a world of passionate people determined to solve the housing crisis in their own areas in their own grass roots way.

Why did the project not happen?

Sadly we were not able to convince the council planning department that this project was valuable and planning was refused. We went to appeal, but the planning inspector chose to go with the council’s opinion. The council planners did everything in their power to crush our project, and ensure it didn’t happen. We do not fully understand why there was such a strong determination amongst certain members of Swansea Council’s planning department that this project should not happen, right from the start. The council, who claimed to not have the resources to attend any additional meetings, or in fact ever meet us face to face (after many tens of thousands of pounds spent, and 3 years in the planning system, we have never met a single member of the planning department in the flesh), seemed to have almost unlimited resources to invest in unearthing any conceivable barrier to this project happening. In the end the reasons given for the refusal, which centred around how affordable housing is managed, could easily have been solved through fairly minor tweaks to our policy wording.

We naively assumed because our project was being created by the very people who needed secure homes which were not being provided by the council or any other means, and that it was grass roots and locally based, this would be a reason for the council to support this project. In fact, this was the reason in the end, that they fought so vehemently to stop it happening.

Could we find another site?

With a community-led housing project you only get one shot to take a project to planning. The amount of time that is required to get a project like this to planning stage is incredible, and all of that was done by unpaid members of Gwyr CLT, squeezing the time in around full time work and looking after kids. Across the 5 years we have been running, in total our members have clocked up well over 10,000 hours of work, all of which was unpaid, albeit for resident members in the hope that one day they may get the opportunity to buy or rent permanent and secure homes. Our members simply do not have capacity to do it all again.

What will happen to the site?

We didn't own the site, we had a legal agreement with the owner, which was based on getting planning permission. Therefore the field will stay with the landowner, although we suspect it will be sold to a developer, with the hope that they will get full planning permission down the line, the developer will make a fortune, and none of the homes will be actually affordable (but maybe we can be positive).

What about the money?

One of the achievements we are really proud of, is that we managed to secure a first of its kind grant from Welsh Government, which if planning was approved would have totalled nearly £900,000. This would have been spent on ensuring homes were affordable and would have been safeguarded for every future occupier. In the end, to submit the planning application, around £170,000 of this was spent, with the rest staying with Welsh Government!! Yes that’s four zeros on the end there. And that is completely normal for a planning application! That’s not money that was spent on bricks or mortar, or roads or schools, but simply on the bureaucracy and paper work of putting in a planning application. And we wonder why no new homes are being built!! Any surplus which is left when Gwyr CLT winds up (which is less than £1000) will be transferred to another community interest company or charity.

Was it worth it?

We are obviously incredibly gutted that the planning was refused. Had it been approved, we would be on site now, building zero carbon, permanently affordable homes together! And the complete waste of that opportunity is heartbreaking. Many many individuals and families who have been part of the project, whether planning to live in the homes, or just because they believed in it, dedicated so much time and sacrificed countless evenings, weekends and sleepless nights to the project. However, do we regret starting out with Gwyr CLT. Hell no!! Sometimes when you believe in something, you just have to go for it with both feet. And that’s what we did. Sadly it didn’t go our way, but the housing crisis still exists, and is in fact getting worse. And the council DO NOT CARE!! So people have to stand up and be counted, and that’s what we feel like we have done.

What’s next?

Gower Land Trust CIC (Which was the registered company name of Gwyr CLT), will be winding up. As an informal group of people, we won’t be meeting regularly, but we will keep our email and facebook live, so please feel free to get in touch. Who knows, maybe one day we may have the energy and drive to start another project.

A big thanks!!

Thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years, we regularly got messages from people all over Wales telling us people were inspired by what we were trying to do, and that honestly made all the difference, especially when confronted with challenges which made us question whether it was all worth it. And thanks to Cwmpas particularly Claire and Jonathan, as well as the rest of the professional team (Architects, planning consultant, ecologist etc), who completely bought into the vision and the community-led approach, it was amazing to work with all these people.

So for the time being, that’s Gwyr CLT out!!

Thanks everyone

The Gwyr CLT team

16/02/2026

As people are probably aware, our planning application for 14 new affordable homes, as well as 4 acres of community green space was turned down by the planning inspector.

Although we were aware the planning application could be rejected, we were shocked by the total inability of the both the council and the planning inspector to see any merit in this being a community-led scheme, i.e. created by residents and the local community, to meet an identified need. In fact we strongly believe, that had this exact application been submitted by a developer or housing association, then it would have been approved. For anyone with a keen interest, this is our response to the four major issues raised by the council, and in which the inspector chose to side with the council.

If you want to read he full inspectors report, it is available on the council's website by searching for application - 2024/2259/FUL

16/12/2025

PLANNING APPEAL UPDATE: We have had the appeal response back and our planning appeal has been dismissed, meaning planning permission has been rejected and the project will not go ahead.

We are obviously gutted about the decision, as this project has been the culmination or nearly 5 years of incredibly hard work and commitment from a huge number of people, including members, supporters and the professionals involved in putting together the scheme and application.

The primary reason for rejecting the application seems to boil down to the fact that the inspector does not believe community groups can build and manage affordable housing. It seems incredible to us, that making sure housing is genuinely affordable for ever is THE primary purpose of GCLT & Community-led housing in general, and that the government can make endless statements about their support for community-led housing, but then refuse the planning application, mainly on the basis that the project IS community-led, and not being delivered by existing organisations such as the council or housing associations.

The message seems clear, community groups can only build affordable housing if it is being entirely controlled and mediated by the exact organisations who are currently failing to deliver the homes that people need.

This will take a while to digest properly, but thanks to everyone who has supported us on the journey. We have no regrets about this project, and believe wholeheartedly in community-led housing. Sometimes you have to stand up for things you believe in, but that doesn’t always mean you will succeed.

We wish everyone a happy Christmas, and we’ll be making a statement about our next steps in the new years.

Thanks

The GCLT team

24/11/2025

APPEAL UPDATE: As people may know, the appeal hearing for our planning application to build 14 low-carbon affordable homes in Bishopston was last Wednesday.

It's been quite a roller coaster in terms of the appeal.

One of the major issues (if not THE major issue) for the council was that they did not accept that Community Land Trusts or community groups could build or manage affordable housing. However in a surprise U-turn, two weeks before the hearing, they contacted us and the planning inspector to notify us that they had received legal advice and now accepted that what we are proposing is 'affordable housing' and therefore withdrew their objections on grounds of affordability. We were therefore quite confident going into the appeal, and we would only need to address more technical issues, such as the green infrastructure, highways and the suitability of alternative sites (which we were confident we could overcome).

Then at the appeal, the council re-ignited the entire debate on affordability on multiple different grounds, which went on to dominate the first half of the appeal proceedings. We were put on the back foot, as we had assumed that given the council had withdrawn their objections, that this would not even need to be discussed, but they seemed to completely ignore their previous statement and even raised points that we thought we had resolved with them a long time ago!! How the council can completely trample over due process, and change their official position repeatedly throughout what is a very formal and regulated process is absolutely baffling.

The second half of the appeal however, which focused on the technical issues, seemed much more straight forward and alongside our professional team, were able to answer questions and felt we made our case clearly and convincingly.

A lot of GCLT members spoke very emotively, including resident members and our board members, and showed real bravery sharing their personal stories, as well as lots of our wider supporters, or people who were just generally supportive.

We are now waiting for the inspectors decision, which he has confirmed will be made before Christmas. So come Christmas time, we will either be celebrating heartily or drawing our sorrows in gravy and eggnog!

We will of course, let everyone know as soon as we have the result!

24/07/2025

An amazing and inspiring story of community-led affordable housing from Dorset. A really in-depth article, looking at everything from the quality of the building fabric, to the huge reduction in loneliness amongst residents who moved there. Definitely worth a read.

For 16 years, Barefoot Architects and Bridport Cohousing CLT have battled to plan and pioneer Hazelmead, now the largest community housing project in the country, writes Fran Williams. Photography by Rebecca Noakes

21/07/2025

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder that if you haven't already submitted a representation (comment) on our planning appeal (CAS-04117-J5F8J3), then please do so by the 23rd July, we have produced some guidance on the home page of our website linked here.

It's hard to overstate how important this decision is, not just for our little project, but for community-led housing in Wales, and how housing is created in the future.

There has been investment of quite literally millions of pounds in community-led housing, both from Welsh Government and other grant funders, to support community-led organisations to build affordable housing. There are at least 50 CLH organisations in Wales working tirelessly to create affordable housing in their own areas. Alongside this, there is an enormous identified need for affordable housing, with Swansea council approving less than half of the new homes needed, and an identified shortfall in affordable housing of nearly 12,000 homes!!

Despite not creating new housing at any where the scale needed through their own council houses, Housing associations or big developers, the council have refused our application precisely because it is community-led and not built by conventional developers.

In their decision, effectively Swansea council are saying in their claim that community-led organisations cannot deliver affordable housing that:

- Welsh government is wrong
- Planning policy Wales (the national planning policy for Wales) is wrong
- Cwmpas (the CLH enabling hub for Wales) is wrong
- The CLT Network (support for body for CLTs in the UK) is wrong
- The council's own housing figures are wrong
- Local people in housing need are wrong

Perhaps actually, it is Swansea Council who is wrong here.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far, and commented on the original application and the appeal. It is much appreciated.

Thanks

The Gŵyr CLT team

Our mission: Creating environments for resilient communities to thrive. The Planning Appeal is under way! Now we need your help. Between now and 23rd July 2025, the Appeal Inspector is taking comments from the public. Submitting a Letter of Support , even if you have done so before during public con...

14/07/2025

The Planning Appeal is under way!
Now we need your help. Between now and 23rd July 2025, the Appeal Inspector is taking comments from the public. Submitting a Letter of Support , even if you have done so before during public consultation or the Planning Application, will significantly help our case.
We have written some guidance notes and a template letter to assist, but you are very welcome to write your own. Reiterating your original points and adding further comments or resending your previous letter are all helpful.
Thankyou!
Mae’r Apêl Gynllunio wedi dychre!
Nawr dy ni’n angen eich help chi. Rhwng nawr a 23 Gorffennaf 2025, mae’r Arolygydd Apêl yn cymryd sylwadau gan y cyhoedd. Bydd cyflwyno Llythyr Cefnogaeth, hyd yn oed os ydych chi wedi gwneud hynny o’r blaen yn ystod ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus neu’r Cais Cynllunio, o gymorth sylweddol i’n hachos.

Rydym wedi ysgrifennu rhai nodiadau canllaw a llythyr templed i gynorthwyo, ond mae croeso mawr i chi ysgrifennu eich un eich hun. Mae ailadrodd eich pwyntiau gwreiddiol ac ychwanegu sylwadau pellach neu ail-anfon eich llythyr blaenorol i gyd yn ddefnyddiol.

Diolch!

10/07/2025

A short video from Cwmpas' community-led housing conference, with a very brief appearance from our member Niaomh who spoke passionately on one of the panels about GCLT. Check it out