⚠️ Archived Content
This page relates to the 2019–2024 National Park Management Plan, which is now archived. For the latest aims and objectives, please visit the 2025–30 Management Plan landing page.
Retain access to services – like primary schools and GP surgeries – that are essential to the long-term viability of local communities, using the four main service ‘hubs’ (Grassington, Hawes, Reeth and Sedbergh) and their surrounding ‘spoke’ settlements to create economies of scale.
How the local partners are doing on this objective
Progress: Local plan allocated sites for employment and housing, including a proportion of affordable homes for working age households, are concentrated in Grassington Threshfield and Sedbergh where they will directly support community services. The Sedbergh Economic Partnership is supporting the allocations and asking for more development in Sedbergh to better support local services.
Over the last 5 years we have kept hold of our GP surgeries with permanent surgeries in Aysgarth, Grassington, Hawes, Reeth, Sedbergh and others in settlements just outside e.g. Settle, Ingleton, Kirkby Stephen, plus ‘visiting’ surgeries in Tebay and Orton a few hours a week. The Dales still has 22 Primary Schools and 2 Secondary Schools. There have been a small number of pub closures with approx. 89 still remaining in the Dales.
Rationale: The long-term viability of local communities depends in part on retaining access to key services, especially for families. The objective is to maintain access to quality services by using the four main settlements inside the Park collectively with their surrounding service village hinterlands, to offer economies of scale and a choice of locations for new and existing facilities. The aim is for these ‘service hubs’ to be able to compete with the surrounding towns to retain and attract households and, thereby’ avoid the further loss of critical services.
Lead partner: North Yorkshire Council; Westmorland & Furness Council
Supporting partners: North Yorkshire Council; Westmorland & Furness Council; Lancashire County Council; Parish Councils; Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority; York, North Yorkshire & East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership; Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership;
Further information: n/a
Cost over 5 years: n/a
Funding shortfall: n/a
Related objectives: E1; E2, E3, E5; E7,E8; E9; F1; F2; F4; F6; F7
Ecosystem services: None
Trade-offs: New infrastructure will have impacts on the environment and existing amenities of the National Park. These will be identified and moderated through the application of the policies set out in the Yorkshire Dales Local Plan
Baseline: Settlement survey data.