Balancing act over affordable homes in national parks – The Yorkshire Post says

Yet, while this explains why the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors continue to enjoy national renown, it has come at the expense of affordable housing.

The consequence is an existential crisis in which the sustainability of villages, and even towns, is under threat because targets to build more affordable homes have not been met.

All the more power, therefore, to the North Yorkshire Rural Commission which is investigating the issue – and Sir William Worsley, the new chair of the Forestry Commission to call for a more co-ordinated approach between landowners, local councils and, of course, the national park authorities which have wide-ranging planning powers of their own.

“Villages need to be mixed communities and it is important that working people can continue to live in villages and that they don’t become places for retirees,” says the much respected Sir William in today’s newspaper.

As The Yorkshire Post argued last week, the success of North Yorkshire County Council’s new strategy to safeguard rural schools is dependent, in part, on making sure there’s suitable accommodation for young families.

And while the character and charm of the national parks needs to be maintained – not least because of their wider contribution to the economy through tourism – evolution, rather than revolution, is needed if they’re to remain sustainable for all.