The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) has explained that following recent changes to its planning policies, one of its main objectives is to increase housing supply. It has, therefore, urged landowners, developers, builders, planning agents and housing to consider building new homes in the park.
39 new homes were built in the park last year. A new local plan has set the target of building 55 homes in the park each year, as it is thought that a lack of affordable housing in the Dales is preventing local communities from attracting and retaining young people and families. The local plan was adopted in December 2016, and since then plans for 79 homes have been approved. 50 of these plans were delivered owing to policies that allow for the conversion of roadside barns and other buildings into local occupancy dwellings.
Chairman at the park, Carl Lis, said: "We want to nudge builders into action. New build housing is now permitted in more towns and villages across the national park than ever before. We have put together a long list of sites that have the benefit of an existing planning permission or housing allocation. Our message is simple: if you bring forward high-quality schemes for these sites, we will approve them."
Lis added that it is more financially viable for developers to build the affordable and local occupancy homes that are badly needed by local communities because policies now permit more open market housing. The YDNPA believes that new homes will support the economy, local communities, and the facilities they rely on, such as schools. There is a need for a better range of housing, including more energy efficient houses with modern amenities.
New homes can be built on a range of sites, including sites that already have planning permission, that have already been allocated for housing development, or that appear on the brownfield land register. More land will be released for housing in the future, as the YDNPA are required to ensure that they maintain a sufficient supply of land for new homes. Planning policies are also designed to help with converting existing buildings to housing, provided that this does not displace a use that is important to the local community.
