Rural economic crisis laid bare as Dales population stagnates

POPULATION numbers in the Yorkshire Dales National Park have stagnated for the first time in more than 40 years in the clearest indication yet of the mounting economic crisis faced by its rural communities.
The Yorkshire Dales National ParkThe Yorkshire Dales National Park
The Yorkshire Dales National Park

Senior members at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have issued a stark warning over a lack of job opportunities and affordable homes as plans are being drawn up to pinpoint sites for development to attract new enterprise.

Concerns are growing about the national park’s rapidly changing demographics with an increasingly ageing population and a dwindling number of young people and families, with many opting to either move away to pursue new careers or because they cannot afford to buy a home in the national park.

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The trend is being mirrored in the region’s other national parks in the North York Moors and the Peak District, where data from the latest Census in 2011 revealed that population numbers have deviated little from the 2001 figures.

But influential politicians in the Dales have warned countryside communities are now “caught in the eye of the storm” after repeated warnings in recent years that more needs to be done to counter the affordable housing crisis and create more jobs.

Richmondshire District Council’s leader John Blackie, who is also a member of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: “People are faced with no jobs, no homes, no GP surgeries, no schools and no shops in the Dales if this trend continues.

“This is not someone crying wolf again, it is the reality. The storms clouds have been gathering for some time now, but communities in the Dales are now caught in the eye of this storm.”

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The population in the Yorkshire Dales National Park increased by just 100 between 2001 and 2011 to 19,800, compared with a 1,154 rise in the previous decade. However, the number of children aged up to 14 living in the national park fell by 16 per cent from 2001 to 2011.

The adult population in the North York Moors fell by 500 to 23,400 between 2001 and 2011, while the figure for the Peak District has remained constant at 37,900.

Plans to boost business and job opportunities in the Yorkshire Dales National Park are now being drawn up under a new planning vision, called the Local Plan, for the 15-year period up until 2030.

Brownfield sites in the Grassington area, including a disused quarry and a redundant residential school, as well as a former school in Sedburgh have been earmarked for development for business use, with the possibility of creating tourism attractions, offices or manufacturing bases.

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Proposals are also being considered to aid tourism, such as boosting overnight stays by developing new visitor facilities and creating more camping and touring pitches.

A public consultation will begin on Monday and will run until October 29, before a draft Local Plan is drawn up next year when more views will be sought. A final version will be sent to Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles for approval in 2015.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s head of sustainable development, Peter Stockton, admitted the lack of job opportunities and affordable housing was undermining rural communities.

He said: “We are particularly concerned about the continued trend for services and jobs to move further away from the national park.

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“We are also worried that the population of the national park has stopped growing for the first time since 1970 and that there has been a significant drop in the number of children and younger households. This has serious implications for the sustainability of communities over the 15-year plan period.”

While property markets have slumped across the country, the Dales has weathered the economic downturn and an average home now costs more than £287,000. But a quarter of all incomes for the Yorkshire Dales National Park’s 10,000 households average just £16,000, with the local economy centred on the relatively poorly-paid farming and tourism sectors.