The suspension of a multi billion pound nuclear project has led to calls for Gwynedd and Anglesey Councils to scrap a plan that would see up to 8,000 new homes built across both counties.

On Thursday, Hitachi announced it was halting Anglesey’s Wylfa Newydd development due to the project’s rising costs and the inability to find the necessary capital to fund its construction.

But while the announcement has led to concerns that thousands of proposed jobs will not be realised, it has also been welcomed by anti-nuclear and other pressure groups who were against the development from the very start.

In wake of these latest developments, calls have now intensified for the neighbouring local authorities to reconsider their Joint Local Development Plan (JLDP) which proposes that 8,000 new homes should be built across Anglesey and Gwynedd over the next 15 years.

While Wylfa Newydd had been earmarked for a site near Cemaes in northern Anglesey, Gwynedd Council had also made arrangements for an increased demand on housing in the Arfon area.

But while the plan was ratified separately by both authorities in July 2015, doubts over the need for so many new houses if Wylfa Newydd is never realised has led to a demand that they should go back to the drawing board.

Gwynedd Council say that the latest developments will be monitored on an ongoing basis by both authorities.

A spokesman for anti-nuclear group People Against Wylfa B (PAWB), said: “We are calling on Ynys Môn and Gwynedd councils to suspend their Joint Local Development Plan which was based and adopted on the assumption that Wylfa B would go ahead.

“We call on them to form a completely new plan without any support to additional nuclear developments in north west Wales. It is also obvious that there is the same lack of interest shown by the private sector in the Small Modular Reactor technology, therefore it would be foolish to waste taxpayer money and yet more years in pursuing that dream.

“Similarly, the North Wales Growth Deal which all six county councils in North Wales have signed up to looks equally flawed because of the same assumption. That initiative also need to be scrapped and the councils involved should start again.”

Similar calls have been made by language group, Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg, who are also calling on Anglesey Council and the Welsh Government to reconsider their economic strategy.

Menna Machreth said, “They have put all their eggs in one basket for far too long. We have argued for some time that pushing for a new nuclear plant was not only dangerous for the environment and the Welsh language, but was also an old and unaffordable technology.

“They should have anticipated this as a result of the Fukushima disaster.

“There’s a need to concentrate now on practical solutions that will boost the economy, the environment and language, such as creating a national energy company and investing in clean and renewable sources.”

“Gwynedd and Anglesey councils will have to revisit the Local Development Plan also. A significant percentage of the 8,000 homes was based on people moving in, but there’s no need for these homes any more.”

In response, a Gwynedd Council spokesman said: “Horizon’s announcement to suspend its Wylfa Newydd project on Anglesey will be considered as part of the ongoing process of monitoring the Joint Anglesey and Gwynedd Local Development Plan.”