Rural areas need schools and nurseries or they risk young families moving away

Oswaldkirk Parish Meeting has urged members of the North York Moors National Park Authority to reject the plan for the former St Aidan’s Roman Catholic Chapel of Ease, off Main Street, saying it would exacerbate road safety issues on a busy route where motorists routinely speed.

While their concerns are understandable there is a perennial structural issue that rural areas face of a diminishing demographic.

Young families find that they no longer have the facilities to be able to bring up their children in rural areas, leading to them moving closer to towns and cities.

It means that many villages are faced with a demographic time bomb. Some have already been reduced to seasonal ghost towns.

Rural villages also need an infrastructure to support everyday living for families, that includes childcare facilities.

This proposal follows North Yorkshire Council approving a plan to relocate the village playground amid concerns over the safety of existing facilities.

The meeting was told some residents viewed the playground proposal as “crucial for fostering social interaction and unity among all residents”.

A resident told the meeting last month how there were few families left in Oswaldkirk and a safe and secure playground in the village centre would help attract new families.

The worst outcome would be to see this church stand derelict or even end up as a second home for someone who may only use it a few months of the year.

This application states there will be limited changes to the external appearance of the building and that is to be welcomed, as the character of these villages should not be sacrificed.