Dales dilemma
ONE of the many reasons for the enduring charm of the Yorkshire Dalesis the National Park's aesthetic appeal; it is not cluttered with higgledly-piggledy buildings, constructed in an ad hoc manner, and which are totally out of character with the area's natural beauty. Standards are high and, crucially, they have to be maintained, if only to avoid the laxness that blights so many urban communities.
Yet it is difficult to see how the conservation areas of the Dales can, or will, be preserved when the national parks face the prospect of a potential 35 per cent budget cut, and when "unprecedented staffing issues" are already having a detrimental effect on the need for "timely enforcement action". Fewer staff will simply increase the likelihood of planning rules – guidelines that exist for a very good reason – being circumvented.
It is a conundrum that will have to be recognised if the Dales, as we know it, is to be preserved, while also allowing appropriate development to take place that is in keeping with one of Britain's most iconic landscapes.