The cost of changing a house name in Gwynedd should rocket from £55 to £10,000 to deter their changing from Welsh into English, politicians have argued.

A newly-founded political group is proposing the radical reforms amid a high profile campaign against the loss of native Welsh place names.

While local authorities currently have no legal jurisdiction to refuse requests to change names into English, any received usually see the applicant asked to reconsider and return after a two week “cooling off” period.

But conceding that hiking the cost 180-fold would be “astronomical” it has been argued that such a move would be a deterrent, with any income being reinvested into Welsh language immersion centres.

The move has been brought forward by the Welsh National Party’s (WNP) Gwynedd branch, which recently formed an official group on the local authority following the defection of one Plaid and another independent councillor, having launched a petition urging the measure.

The party says that it stands “for not cheapening our own culture for the ease of tourists,” claiming that too many place names have already been lost.

According to Gwynedd Council, of 140 notifications of house name changes received during 2019, only six went ahead to change from a Welsh name to an English name.

But Cllr Peter Read, who represents Abererch, described the proposal as “simple” and would protect Welsh place names until national legislation is secured.

“Simply, we will increase the fee to rename a property in Gwynedd to £10,000.

“Home owners will still be able to remove the Welsh name of their property but they will have to pay an astronomical fee to do so.

“If any big spenders are prepared to pay that fee to erase our heritage then we believe any money raised should contribute to secure Welsh Language immersion courses that the council previously tried to cut.

“Once national legislation is in place to protect Welsh place names we’ll happily bring the fee back down.”

In Ceredigion, the first Welsh authority to implement such measures in early 2015, homeowners are sent a reply letter stating: “Whilst we understand the temptation to translate or change the name into English, before making your final decision we would offer you an opportunity to reconsider.”

Anglesey, which debated the loss of native Welsh place names in 2015, commissioned a study which found that the original name of a farmhouse in Carmel, Prys Owain Fawr,  could be traced to 1744.

It is understood the name of the house has since been changed to Mountain View.

But according to Cllr Dylan Bullard (Pwllheli North), there is “no excuse for waiting around” for national legislation.

He added, “It’s really amazing that the council hasn’t done this already. Its fee for renaming a property is just £55.

“Why should someone be able to remove our language for such a bargain basement price?

“And the application form only asks people to ‘reconsider’ if they’re renaming a long-standing old Welsh name. Cardiff Council’s fee is more than double Gwynedd’s at £123. But that’s still not enough.

“The administration running Gwynedd Council may be happy for our Welsh place names to be cheap. The WNP doesn’t.”

A petition calling to put a stop to the practice will soon be discussed by the Welsh Parliament after a petition garnered over 17,500 signatures, claiming that indigenous place and house names are gradually being eroded.

The topic has been hotly debated over recent months, with BBC news presenter Huw Edwards and former First Minister Carwyn Jones wading into a row over the loss of Welsh place names and one town councillor on Anglesey describing it as “nothing short of linguistic cleansing”.

Cllr Jason Humphreys, who sits on Porthmadog town council, concluded: “Gwynedd has the powers to make sure names are not changed.

“The council needs to get on and use them. I encourage everyone to sign our petition.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

In response, a Gwynedd Council spokesperson said they had been leading the way in protecting the Welsh language and our cultural landscape for decades.

“House names are of significant historical importance as they reflect the original use of buildings, their place within the community and surrounding geographical features. We are sensitive to local fears that the changing and erasing of Welsh house names is counterproductive and culturally damaging.

“While we recognise an individual’s right to choose the name of their own home, we would highlight the significant work the council has been doing for many years, within our legal powers, to stop the changing of place names.

“For instance, when someone notifies us of their intention to change a house name from Welsh to English, officers will contact them to explain the cultural and historical significance of house and place-names, and ask them to reconsider.

“We would also point out that during 2019, Gwynedd Council received 140 notifications of changes of house names; of these six went ahead to change from a Welsh name to an English name. The remainder changed either from one Welsh name to another or from and English name to a Welsh name.”

The petition can be found at: https://www.wnp.wales/welshplacenames