Ripon Cathedral's campaign to restore rural communities with alternative approach to house building

As we start the new year, Dean John says he hopes that there will be more support from the public for farmers and that ways to address housing issues in Yorkshire’s small rural villages can build on work done last year to look at practical and sustainable solutions.

He chaired the North Yorkshire Rural Commission prior to local government re-organisation last year and fronts the Ripon Cathedral Rural Forum, which meets twice a year along with other agencies in the region such as the NFU, national parks, Yorkshire Water, Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and the newly formed North Yorkshire Council.

At its most recent forum in November, it heard from young people attending Craven College and found they had a buss pass, but it wasn’t valid until 9.30am and college started at 9am.

Now the forum is planning to contact travel operators to look at a rule that is potentially a barrier to young people in rural areas and education and employment opportunities.

Dean John said: “Our point is with all of this, it is ensuring that the rural voice is heard. One of the issues is that the rural voice is not always heard as well as it should be. People that make decisions on something like bus passes are not taking into account the rural perspective.”

Another forum outcome was linking farmers with local enterprise partnership training to help support with the business side of their farms.

This year, the forum will continue discussions with house builders about the benefits of small scale developments (five houses) in the likes of moorland and dales villages, which breathe new life into communities without radically changing the appearance of them.

Dean John said: “It is about bringing people together who can move things forward. We were keen on having smaller developments across the rural areas. We were trying to get three pilot projects and exploring that.

“There are other areas we have identified where there could be possibilities. I am not saying we are making world transforming differences but the purpose of it is to overcome obstacles to small scale development.

“We have to make sure we have building companies who will develop small scale projects in quite remote areas. People think if there is no life you don’t need houses.

“You have got to start somewhere and housing is the thing that might open up a change by bringing people in a small number of properties. Bringing families to a community makes a difference.”

Last weekend, Dean John led the annual Plough Sunday service which is a celebration of Yorkshire’s farmers and the produce they grow and he has noted the change in public perception.

He added: “I sense there is a change in mood on this. When I have spoken with farmers over the last few years, they are sad and disappointed that the country, politicians and community at large does not value them as food producers.

“We want them to keep hedges neat and country parks attractive so that people can enjoy time off there, we want them to sort the environment, but in terms of producing food - that is not really valued. We can’t take them for granted. I hope there will be a change of appreciation and that will help farmers to be more sustainable and get a good price for crops.”