The destruction of Yorkshire's open spaces - like Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors - is not an option

That is the warning-shot fired in a letter by the respective chairmen of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park Authorities, expressing concerns about proposed new ‘permitted development rights’ in National Parks - and it must now be pinned to the desks of the Prime Minister and the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary.

The broadside comes following mooted policy which would allow conversion of agricultural and other rural buildings, shops, offices and cafes in National Parks into second homes and holiday lets without planning permission - effectively firing the starting gun on populating our precious places of outstanding natural beauty.

The region has seen first-hand what an oversupply of second homes and holiday lets can do to the makeup of an historic town. What has happened in Whitby is a cautionary tale.

And let us be clear: this is not a classic case of nimbyism. This is about protecting the flora and fauna that is the envy of the world, natural assets which, when they are gone, will never return.

Save for the devastating environmental impact developing these places will have, it, too, is economically illiterate - ripping away the very reason people want to visit National Parks.

Of course, the shortage of housing needs to be tackled in order to ensure people born in these idyllic parts of the country have a place to live, and aren’t forced to uproot, but it is quite feasible - and not an unreasonable demand - for a strategic approach to be formulated that takes account of spaces that are sacrosanct.

Because once you allow derelict barns and isolated farmhouses to become holiday lets and second homes, sure as eggs is eggs will follow the installation of power lines, access roads and hard flat surfaces. Communities could well begin to build and then, understandably, begin calling for additional services, amenities and infrastructure.

Equally, should those future communities not materialise, residents living in National Parks don’t need seasonally empty dwellings scattered across the landscape, homes most likely snapped up by wealthy residents from other parts of the country. What they need is affordable housing that protects the characteristics of these special places, surrounded by sustainable, affordable services, so that the next generation can put down roots, alongside their friends and family, in and around our National Parks.

Worst of all, this proposed approach will deprive local communities from having their say. The proposals would exclude individuals and local communities from the decision-making process in relation to potential conversions.

Ill thought-out, unilaterally decreed development of this kind will inevitably adversely impact biodiversity, which is what our amazing National Parks do best.

It shouldn’t take a desperate plea from the conscientious custodians of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park Authorities for the Prime Minister to realise the significance of protecting these beautiful rural vistas, after all, a large part of Rishi Sunak’s constituency, Richmond, falls within the National Parks.

These proposals do not only risk damaging the Conservative Party’s prospects at the next General Election, they will also anger those who vote in traditional heartlands for the Tories. Communities in these idyllic locations will not forgive him, nor his party, if the Government facilitates the conversion of the National Parks into seasonal ghost towns.

And so on behalf of the rural communities The Yorkshire Post represents, Prime Minister, whilst standing alongside other National Parks teetering over the same regressive precipice, we beg of you: do everything in your power to ensure this nation’s National Parks cannot be irreparably violated.