Land has been suggested for 600 new homes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with the details being published as part of a public consultation launched today.
A ‘call for housing development sites’ in January 2021, prompted by a need for more permanently occupied homes in the National Park to sustain local communities, resulted in over 100 sites being put forward. Initial checks on suitability have reduced this long list to 33 sites with indicative capacities ranging from between five to 100 homes.
Most of the potential development land is in the National Park’s largest settlements of Sedbergh, Grassington/Threshfield, Hawes and Embsay, but sites have also been identified in other villages.
The Member Champion for Sustainable Development at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Carl Lis said:
“During the time that we’ve been working up a new Local Plan it has become clear that we need more people in permanently occupied homes in the National Park. New house building is part of the approach that will help sustain local communities and it is our role as the planning authority to make sure those new homes are built in suitable locations.
“Action on housing – particularly affordable housing – is vital for the long term viability of local communities in the National Park as it faces a significant population challenges that risks reducing demand for local services.
“Allocating a site for housing development means that planning permission for housing will be granted subject to plans meeting policies on design, affordability and such like. So this is a big moment. I want to stress that this is a consultation, not a done deal and I would urge people to share their views with us on the suitability of each of the 33 potential sites.”
Allocating housing development sites is part of the process of creating a new Local Plan for the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The new Plan will contain a set of planning policies that will shape development up to 2040.
At the moment there are already planning permissions in the National Park for around 330 new dwellings that have yet to be developed. This means that if the proposed sites are allocated, the requirement for 850 new homes in the National Park by 2040 could be met.
Additional housing will also be able to be built on smaller plots of land within housing development boundaries. Maps showing draft development boundaries have been published today and form part of the public consultation.
People are encouraged to consider the contents of the paper titled ‘Consultation No. 6 – Land for housing development’’, alongside the background evidence documents and draft maps of more 90 settlements that show where possible site allocations, development boundaries and important open spaces are proposed. The information is on the Local Plan page.
Anyone wishing to make representations is invited to submit them by email to localplan@yorkshiredales.org.uk
Alternatively, responses can be submitted by post to Planning Policy, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Yoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, DL8 3EL
The public consultation will close on Friday 12th May.
Do we need more housing being built in the National Park when such a high proportion of existing stock is taken by holiday homes, many of which are seldom occupied? Some local villages are up to 50% holiday homes.
Will any new house eventually be bought for holiday homes or buy to let?
There are also very many unused barns, many of which in a very poor state of repair or even derelict. Many of these could be re used for housing if incentives to owners could be offered.
Hi David, thanks for your comment. This new local plan includes a policy that would require all new housing to be for ‘permanent residency’ only. And we know, from the extensive consultation work we’ve already undertaken, that this policy has been well received by communities across the National Park. In addition, we welcome the proposal by North Yorkshire Council to introduce a 100% council tax premium on properties that are used for second homes, which, alongside our primary occupancy policy will also help bring more of our under-used properties back into permanent occupation.
Finally, barn conversions are a small part of the development market. They tend to be developed very slowly as self build schemes by their owners and often are not located in sustainable places near to services such as schools, shops or public transport. To make a difference over the next 17 years the National Park needs sites for a range of new build homes that offer modern amenities and are affordable to buy and live in.
Mark Sadler, Communications Manager
Sorry to disagree with you, but all of the Dales do not agree with your plan to destroy the Village life we have come to love.
Threshfield for instance
129 houses you wanting to build.
Bob younger
Any further housing in Sedbergh would only exacerbate the current difficulty in obtaining National Health dentistry and pressure on the Medical Centre.
There are few job vacancies that could provide the level of income needed to fund house mortgages, putting additional pressure on local authority support agencies
Forty nine houses are already under construction on the busy A684,which will add to the traffic currently passing through Sedbergh.
There are enough houses in Casterton. If access is through Smithy Howe I see issues developing as there’s a very busy Garage called Town End Garage on the corner of Fern Croft and Smithy Howe. There would be accidents without a doubt.
Just noted the possible sites in West Witton, not impressed. We have just had 3 years of building and the number of affordable houses are not really affordable to local people, especially younger families. Also the number of affordable houses dropped from the initial number agreed.
Stop houses becoming holiday homes, far too many and this council tax of 100% isn’t going to deter anyone just more money for this new council.
No No No No more houses in the Dales, there has already been far too many new houses built recently and some still under construction. Sedbergh certainly doesn’t need them as new ones are already being built, Gargrave, Ingleton and many more have all had new houses, this is the thin end of the wedge the more you build the more you’ll want to build in the future, and the dales will become like West Yorkshire a built up hell hole, the job of the National park authority should be to protect our precious dales from developement not destroy it. These houses will not go to ordinary farming dales folk but to rich outsiders who either work from home or commute to further afield for work
The population of the parks is aging. We need youth here. Without it the dales will just be one a large retirement park.
To encourage this we need more family homes. More properties which first time buyers can afford.
Kettlewell has more than once almost lost its primary school as there are not enough children for it.
Upper wharfedale school has it’s numbers topped up each year by students outside the YDNP. If we want these schools to continue we need new blood in the community.
Progress is required. Not only homes but infrastructure. Better links by road and rail. Better services. More investment in businesses. Not just for tourism but to attract new business here.
All this is needed for the area to thrive.
The yorkshire dales national park authorities should not allow any housing to be built in the yorkshire dales as these areas where and are protected for there natural outstanding beauty and should stay that way people in these authorities who have little or no respect for our countryside should think about looking for another job
In order for communities to grow and thrive we need to expand the smaller villages and settlements each year little by little whilst still retaining the natural beauty of the surrounding area.also new houses are more energy efficient
Your suggestion is spot on
New houses in the smaller villages and settlements would help with thr community in the far reaches of the dales and reduce the need for larger developments else where
I doubt this will be looked on positively by the national park
Time will tell
Either way the youth will struggle to afford homes in the national park
As someone who has lived and worked in Grassington some 60 years I find it hard to understand the need for extra housing in the dales. I know of no one who is homeless locally so can only assume the houses are for well off people from outside the area as younger locals certainly can’t afford the supposed ‘affordable’ housing. What we need to do is take back the local housing stock lost to second homes, etc, which YDNP has allowed for too many years !
Living on Brackenley Lane I have concerns about the proposed new builds there. The Lane is not wide enough for passing vehicles as it is and I, like many others, am fine with that. It’s what you would expect in village life. However, I do not want to come face to face with large site vehicles along that road for the next few years. Given the fact that some of them elsewhere in the village, especially early morning, have been known to speed. They ignore signs too, for example I keep seeing Bentley flatbeds going up a street that says ‘no Bentley site vehicles’ There is also the fact that there will barely be any lower priced housing for our youngsters built. There never are. There are too many that are going to folk as second homes. Whatever anyone says that will happen. People always get around those things somehow.
Wildlife is being destroyed elsewhere because of new builds and if these hills and valleys of our little bit of National park that has for so long been a haven to many creatures are to be destroyed too then it would give greedy developers a huge opportunity to apply to build more and more and more and more and more and… sigh. Every time I open my phone there are people from all over the country asking for no more houses to be built. I’m with them.
I have just returned from Hovingham, North Yorkshire, a village that is slowly dying as the pubs close, shops close and now the primary school.
More affordable housing is desperately needed. Why do so many people assume that it will be a developer “rip-off”? Housing Associations can ensure that the majority of the houses go to local people that meet their criteria.