Members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority will meet next week to consider a draft set of planning policies that will guide development in the National Park for the next 15 years.
The “draft Local Plan text” has been made public today, in advance of the meeting (click the first link on the page). An accompanying report has also been published (see agenda item 7).
The new Local Plan, which will be subject to formal public consultation early next year, includes details of the sites within the National Park for the building of new homes to meet the Local Plan target of 750 dwellings. This is to assist local housing authorities and house builders to enable the development of much needed affordable homes alongside, and cross-subsidised by, open market homes. Feedback from a recent public consultation on future housing sites will also be discussed at the meeting to agree which sites should be included.
The introduction of a principal occupancy condition on all new homes is an important new policy contained within the draft Local Plan. It is designed to ensure all new housing is permanently occupied rather than used as second homes or holiday lets. The Local Plan will also support the development of the rural economy and gives greater prominence to climate change and nature recovery.
Member Champion for Sustainable Development Richard Foster said: “I would like to thank members of the public and all the organisations and businesses that have fed into the development of this new Local Plan, which will undergo a final and more formal stage of consultation early next year before being submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination.
“I would also like to thank our partner organisations, particularly North Yorkshire and Westmorland & Furness Councils who, as the housing authorities, are ultimately responsible for building the affordable homes we need here.
“There is a lot in this draft, with 52 new policies to consider. These policies seek to support farm businesses, and cover housing, the rural economy, traditional buildings, landscape and wildlife, amongst other things.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the ten individual development plans that we inherited when the National Park expanded in 2016 finally becoming one single document. This will make it much simpler for our communities and help us to respond more effectively to the economic, social and environmental challenges we face”.
It is expected that a draft Local Plan for further public consultation will be published in early 2025.
In general terms I think that the New Plan is a good one, however I would like to know the reasons why the target of house building has been reduced by 12% from 850 to 750?
Good question. The target hasn’t been reduced. Our publicity for consultation no.6 in March 2023 counted the new Local Plan period as 2023-2040 (50 homes a year for 17 years = 850). Now the number is based on the period 2025-2040 (50 * 15 = 750). There was an 18 month period following consultation no.6 in which the Authority looked again very closely at the potential sites for new housing, extensively re-consulting stakeholders. We didn’t anticipate doing this, and it has lengthened the process of getting to a draft Local Plan.
Andrew, Communications Team
….A little bit more detail on housing completions:
During 2023/24 there were 49 net housing completions across the whole National Park – so, one short of the target. These completions largely consisted of single dwelling schemes, the main exceptions being the conversion of the former United Reform Church in Sedbergh to four local occupancy dwellings and five new build affordable dwellings on land behind the Rose and Crown in Bainbridge.
During 2022/23, there were 56 housing completions in the National Park.