Llanberis family denied home extension amid Airbnb controversy

Marc Evans, a 43‑year‑old project manager, has had his application to build a modest two‑storey family home in his garden rejected twice by Gwynedd planning officers. The council said the proposed building would not respect the traditional character of the stone‑built quarrymen’s terraces that dominate the Welsh village of Llanberis.

Evans argues the decision reflects a bias toward outsiders and Airbnb owners, noting that Llanberis now hosts 99 active holiday‑let listings with average nightly rates of £190 and annual earnings of about £25,700. He warns the village could become “the next Abersoch” as second‑homes and holiday lets drive up property prices and reduce housing availability for locals. A sticker campaign against the surge in Airbnb properties has previously been organised in the village.

The dispute highlights broader tensions in Llanberis, a popular tourist destination at the foot of Snowdon and beside Llyn Padarn, where over‑tourism and the conversion of homes into holiday lets are seen as threats to the community’s cultural identity.