National parks must not price out local families – The Yorkshire Post says

THERE is a reason why homes in Britain’s national parks cost a third more than properties elsewhere – and that is because areas like the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Peak District remain home to, frankly, unrivalled scenery.
Settle is one of the most popular destinations in the Yorkshire Dales.Settle is one of the most popular destinations in the Yorkshire Dales.
Settle is one of the most popular destinations in the Yorkshire Dales.

Yet, while the findings by lettings and estate agent, Benham and Reeves, are not revelatory, there exists every possibility that demand for houses will increase if more families decide that ‘working from home’ is the future.

As Jim Munday, a member of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, wrote in this newspaper recently, there’s potential for his area to become the place to live and work because of the quality of life on offer.

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The consequence, however, could be rising house prices which, in turn, make it even harder for local residents, families who have been steeped in national parks for successive generations, to afford homes in the future.

The village of Langcliffe close to Settle in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.The village of Langcliffe close to Settle in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The village of Langcliffe close to Settle in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

However, while there are measures in place that are intended to encourage the provision of affordable homes, the evidence suggests that they’re not working as desired and do need to be reappraised.

And there will also have to be an acceptance that more homes will have to be built if rural communities are to become more sustainable in the future.

For, while it is ill-advised and short-sighted to demonise second home owners who do, in fact, make a significant contribution to the rural economy, the provision of more houses for local families will make it easier to support key services, and amenities like schools, shops, post offices and pubs, which add so much to the allure of national parks.

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Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Should more homes be built in national parks like the Yorkshire Dales?Should more homes be built in national parks like the Yorkshire Dales?
Should more homes be built in national parks like the Yorkshire Dales?

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

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Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor

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