A school by the seaside is set to close after a surge in holiday homes bought by wealthy owners left it with just seven pupils.
Pupil numbers at Ysgol Abersoch, dubbed 'Cheshire-by-the-Sea' have been dwindling for years due to second home owners from across the border.
A decision has now been made to close the school after a review found it was costing Gwynedd Council £17,404 per pupil.
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The cabinet unanimously voted to shut the primary school during a meeting and the seven pupils will be transferred to another school from next year.
While the school closure will s ave the council £96,000 a year, Efiona Wood, vice chair of the school's board of governors, called it a 'tremendous loss'.
She said there would be an appeal made to reverse the council's decision, although currently the closure is due to come into effect on December 31.
Following the decision, Ffred Ffransis of Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group, said: “Gwynedd is undermining its own housing and language policies by abandoning the Abersoch community.
"They have betrayed this vulnerable community and undermined their hopes of using the school as a basis for the revival of the Welsh language locally.”
Dwindling numbers of pupils is thought to be largely down to second home owners buying up the coastal properties over the Welsh border, driving locals out of the area.
Objectors said the school is at the heart of the local community, and said the closure would reduce Welsh language speaking.
Locals in Gwynedd, northwestern Wales, claim they are being muscled out by wealthy second home owners and that the village is a 'ghost town' especially in winter.
The school was running far below the 32-pupil capacity with just six full time pupils and one in nursery.
