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The authorities in Yorkshire Dales proposed a plan to ban the construction of another i holiday homes in their villages to raise rural communities and to oppose overtourism.
The Yorkshire Dales they attract a large number of tourists to their natural wonders and beauties, from mountaineers who navigate the rocks and forests to those looking for a short break in the countryside. However, the new housing market plan hopes to consolidate its economy to provide more opportunities for permanent residents.
Members of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) have published a local plan which will be subject to formal public consultation early next year, and set out a proposed way to guide new housing development in the area over the next 15 years.
The authorities have set a goal of developing new housing within the national park, however, the plan states that all new housing should be permanently occupied and not used as a second home or holiday rental.
“There is a lot in this draft, with 52 new policies to consider,” said Richard Foster, a local councilor and YDNPA member. “These policies aim to support agricultural enterprises and cover housing, the rural economy, traditional buildings, landscape and wildlife, among others.”
The plan lists 369 potential new homes in areas such as Bolton Abbey, Grassington and Long Preston that would be developed to meet the authority’s target of 750 homes by 2040.
The plan will also support the development of the rural economy with a greater focus on climate change and nature recovery.
The plan focuses on primary housing “to maximize new housing and avoid losing out on the vacation market,” the draft plan said published in December he said.
A July property market assessment in the national park showed there were over 13,000 dwellings in the area, but only 10,272 households, indicating that 22 per cent of homes in the Dales Plan area were not permanently occupied.
Of that, 12 percent are thought to be vacation or vacant properties, while the remaining 10 percent are predicted to be second homes.
By comparison, the plan says the equivalent figure for unoccupied housing units in England and Wales in 2021 was six per cent.
Authorities hope that a moderate increase in the number of permanent dwellings will increase the number of working-age households living in the National Park, which will benefit local services and support local businesses, while mitigating the impact of an otherwise rapidly aging population.
The Dales visitor economy has seen strong growth, recording 6.67 million visitor days in 2023, contributing £485m to the local economy.
However, the park hopes to diversify and restructure operations to improve the economy’s resilience and add more dependence on service sector jobs.
“Although higher than average levels of holiday lettings can be expected in a national park where overnight stays are promoted, very high levels of holiday lettings within the existing housing stock have been shown to limit the supply of lower quartile priced apartments and therefore harm vitality and sustainability of rural communities,” the plan states.
The plan insists that tourism proposals “should aim to support local community services, as well as provide jobs and local economic benefits”.
“New development will, however, need to avoid harm such as significant additional traffic movements or noise and light disturbances that might otherwise detract from some of the special qualities of the park,” the plan added.
Officials point out that the plan supports both sustainable tourism and the appropriate improvement of facilities in order to extend the tourist season and enable citizens to better enjoy the park.
In terms of visitor accommodation, it points to opportunities for farms and land management businesses to create rentals, as well as the need to focus on sustainable, short-term self-catering holidays.
Camping, for example, is a cheap and sustainable way to enjoy the Yorkshire Dales, it says.
Foster also added The Telegraph that “existing properties will still have the opportunity to become holiday homes. We’re not saying we don’t want them, but we want the new houses to be used for sending children to school and for employment.”
“We have a shortage of people living in the Yorkshire Dales and we hope this will help with that,” he added. “We’re not saying it’s a solution, we just hope it helps”
It is expected that the draft plan for further public consultation will be published in early 2025.
For more travel news and tips, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast