Drive to tackle crisis in the Yorkshire Dales as families priced out of buying their own home

Communities such as Arkengarthdale, in Richmondshire, have long warned over an ageing population, high housing costs, and too few children to support small schools.

Now, after a community land trust took ownership of a former chapel to create its own affordable homes, new links have helped secure funding and potential future growth.

The Upper Dales Community Land Trust (UDCLT), thanks to a partnership with housing association North Star, has secured grant funding towards work from Homes England.

Such unions could see significant hopes for the future with more options to be tabled in time in the region, said trust chairman Stephen Stubbs.

He said: "I've lived in Arkengarthdale all my life. In my time, we've lost two village shops, the Post Office, the village institute, we've lost the chapel and, a couple of years ago, the school.

"We haven't got the younger generation - they are moving away. Unless we try to reverse this process we are going to see more schools close, and these communities are going to change dramatically."

People in Richmondshire are among those facing the biggest challenge in Yorkshire when it comes to buying their own home, the latest Home Truths report outlines, with average house prices outpacing families at 10 times the average income.

The area has one of the highest proportions of second home ownership, and the smallest number of long term empty homes. With house prices sky-rocketing in the pandemic - by up to 29 per cent by some estimates - Mr Stubbs said it has accelerated the challenge.

The UDCLT, first formed in 2017 with the support of late councillor John Blackie, aims to create affordable homes for local people living and working in the Upper Dales.

Last year volunteers were awarded £340,000 from the then Richmondshire District Council to buy a former Methodist chapel in Bainbridge to convert into two properties.

As a land trust though, it is unable to access some revenue streams and now North Star, lending housing expertise and eligible for Homes England support funding, has partnered with the project, helping to secure a grant towards the project.

North Star’s Sarah Fawcett, on a site visit, said: "There is obviously a housing need, and the UDCLT has the skills, expertise, passion and interest. This could be the start of a partnership relationship that we’d love to explore to meet additional housing needs in the area.”

And Richard Panter, from Homes England, said: "We rely on organisations such as North Star to hear about opportunities for us to provide financial awards in areas where we’ve not to date been able to reach.

To Mr Stubbs, such links for the land trust will be critical as it creates a format for future projects.

"If we don't do something like this we are going to have villages that are busy in summer and empty in winter," he warned. "We lose schools, because families aren't staying in the area.

"This is great news. To get to where we are has taken a lot of hard work, from a lot of people. This is a really good step forward."