Yorkshire Dales communities "at risk" as house price rise a third above national average

The chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Coun Carl Lis voiced his frustrations as new research out today showed the average cost of buying a home in the park had reached £307,270 - 33 per cent higher than the national average.

The research, by estate agents Benham and Reeves, showed house prices in the Dales even out-ranked its “friendly-rival” the Lake District, where the average house cost £268,893 - 16 per cent more than the £231,855 national average.

Coun Lis called on developers and land owners to stop “land-banking” and act on the planning permission that had been granted for some 600 homes within the park’s boundaries where work had not started, and said the Government needed to introduce new legislation that forced action.

“Young people, to be frank, are desperate for affordable housing,” he said. “£307,000 is way out of reach of local young people. We have 600 applications that have permission and are waiting to be built. We need developers, and the Government, to do something about it.

“Unless something changes, our communities as we know them are going to disappear. Without young people, the schools close - as we have already seen - and local services cannot be justified.

“It would be awful, in years to come, if this generation were to blame for their demise.”

Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake, who worked in property for 30 years before becoming an MP, said it was “no surprise at all” that housing in the Dales ranked so expensively.

He said a simplified planning process was needed to make it “slicker and faster” for developers and therefore increase the number of affordable homes being built.

Mr Hollinrake added: “You feel for the community really, the young people and families in particular who are finding it very difficult to stay in their local area - which is bad for society and bad for Dales, as we don’t want it to become a place full of second homes.”

Earlier this year Craven had the highest numbers of people of waiting list for affordable rented housing and shared ownership - 386 and 170 respectively.

Craven District Council Leader Coun Richard Foster said it had worked with developers ato bring forward a number of affordable housing schemes and was also working on community-led housing projects.

He said: “Last year we agreed a £200,000 funding package to try and bring empty homes back into use across Craven – we estimate there are more than 300 homes across the district which have been vacant for six months or more and which could be brought back into use as either affordable or market housing.

“However, we recognise there is still a great deal more to be done – we need more affordable housing in Craven, to keep our communities vibrant and attract more young people and families to live and work in the district.

“To make a real difference to rural communities, the Government needs to prioritise affordable housing, and give councils the powers and the funding to provide more homes for people who need them.”

Housing prices in the Dales were ranked third highest for national parks in the country, behind the New Forest and South Downs.

Property in the Peak District was priced at an average of £265,955, 15 per cent about the national average. Of all the region’s national parks, it was most affordable in the North York Moors, where the average house price was £234,061, just 1 per cent over the national average.

Director of Benham and Reeves, Marc von Grundherr, said living in or around one of the national parks “could be a wise move”.

He added: “While these areas understandably come with a price premium, that doesn’t mean you have to pay above the odds for the privilege of calling them home. Like all areas of the UK market, prices can vary from one pocket to the next and there are some considerable savings on offer even in the same national parks.”