A balancing act
THE issue of affordable housing in remote rural communities is a recurring one and comes under the spotlight tomorrow when a three-day inquiry is held into proposals drawn up by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. A key element of this blueprint is a suggestion that redundant barns, and other disused buildings, should only be converted into housing in settlements where there are 20 or more dwellings at present.
The thinking is laudable – it makes sense to focus future developments on existing communities so that they remain viable entities. It will also be easier for the utilities to provide power and water. That said, it does disadvantage those landowners in isolated outposts who might want to bring buildings back into use at their own expense. Should they be penalised by such a stringent ruling?
Coming days after a survey revealed that the public regard farmers as custodians of the countryside, each application should be considered on its merits – and alongside concerted efforts to build more affordable homes, where appropriate, in key locations like Hawes, Grassington, Sedbergh and Reeth.