(AGENPARL) – mar 15 novembre 2022 YDNPA Statement on Housing
The purposes of the National Park Authority are;
• to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife, and cultural heritage of
the national park;
• to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the
special
qualities by the public.
The landscape has been home to people and industry
for thousands of years,
and the
National Park Authority
therefore
also has an additional duty:
• in taking forward the
national park purposes, [to] seek to foster t
economic and social well
being of local communities.
The Yorkshire Dales National
ark Management Plan is the
overarching
strategy for
delivering the purposes
and the duty
The Management Plan is prepared by a Steering
Group
of public, private and voluntary
sector
organisations
, and representatives of local
businesses
The Plan sets out a shared
year vision for the
Park, which includes an
ambition that the National Park should be
Home to strong, self
reliant and balance
d communities with good access to
the services they need
nd this is supported by a specific objective for housing:
F1. Support the completion of 400
dwellings
in a range of tenures, sizes,
types and prices by 2024
The Authority’s role in housing
The Authority
has a legal duty to work with
developers,
housing authorities and
rural
housing providers
to support the social and economic wellbeing of local communities.
Authority does not build, manage or finance housing but
it does identify sites fo
r future
development which support public and private infrastructure such as schools, retail
services and communications and which indirectly support community sustainability. The
Authority is directly responsible for preparing the
Local Plan and
making
ecisions on
planning applications.
Planned housing growth
Within
Yorkshire Dales National Park
land for
development
is precious and
sites for
new housing are in short supply.
The Authority needs to carefully plan and release suitable
sites
to ensure g
ood outcome
for the Park and its communities.
Making better use of
existing stock
In addition to building new
homes,
the Authority wants to see better use made of the
existing stock. There are
more than
13,000 dwellings in the National Park for a res
ident
population of only 24,000 people.
So, o
n the face of it
there are
more than
enough
houses.
However,
low levels of occupancy
and high levels of holiday homes
mean that the
existing stock is grossly underused.
In 2011
700 houses
(21%) of the Park
’s
stock,
second homes, holiday let
s or
vacant dwellings.
By 2017 this had risen to an
estimated 3,500.
equivalent
national
figure
was 4%
in 2011
. It is likely that the 2021
Census will
show a continuing trend of very high levels of under
occupancy in the National
We want to see
Sufficient
numbers,
types
and tenures
of new housing
built
that will
maintain services, support the economy and start to reverse population
decline
is is the key
Local Plan objective. Evidence ind
icates that at least 50 new homes will
be needed each year to meet local housing need and attempt to stabilise population
decline.
the Park
Increasing the amount of affordable housing is critical to community and economic
viability. Development that does not contribute meaningfully to that goal is, therefore,
of limited value in the National Park. Affordable homes will be provided on allocat
housing sites beside open market homes, and on ‘rural exceptions sites’ on the edge of
towns and villages.
Houses in the right place
ousing growth
will continue to be
focused in the larger
more accessible
towns and
villages
where services are concentrated
there will
also
need to be
scope to
respond to local needs in
smaller
villages.
Housing of the right size and standard
The National Park needs new
homes
that are attractive for
family
living
it also
needs
shared accommodation
that meet the needs of small
elderly and
younger
households
. New homes should have amenities such as garden space, high
quality b
roadband,
mobile signal connections and
electric
vehicle
charging
Greener homes
ew homes
should be
comfortable, energy efficient and affordable to heat
. They
should be designed to adapt to the changing climate. New homes will need to comply
with or exceed n
ational building standards
which
over time
will ensure that
all new
housing
ll achieve
carbon emissions and deliver more in terms of biodiversity.
Fewer
under
occupied houses
The Authority wants to see m
of the existing houses in the National Park being lived
in permanently
ll new housing
should be restricted to
permanent occupancy
prevent it being lost to second homes or holiday letting.
More efficient use of existing
buildings
The Authority will support a
ppropriate
conversion and
use of existing buildings
which
will also conserve heritage,
landscape
aracter and minimise
carbon emissions.
It will
encourage
division of large properties
multiple occupation
shared living
, in
particular
by the young and the elderly
Greater diversity in housing delivery
As well as small builders
he Authority is keen to work with a wide variety of housing
providers.
he Authority wo
uld like to see
more schemes coming forward from housing
associations,
local housing authorities,
rural estates
and community housing groups.