Delivering New Homes
We want to see more new homes created in the National Park. We will work with landowners, developers and communities to help make this happen. This page explains more about why and how.
Why are new homes needed in the Park?
- We need to sustain our population, which is going into decline, with a particular need to retain and attract more younger and working age households;
- New homes will support the economy, our communities and the facilities they rely on, such as schools;
- We need a better range of housing, including smaller homes to suit newly forming households, more energy efficient housing with modern amenities, and opportunities for self build housing;
- More affordable and local market housing is needed to match local income levels, and provide a supply of housing that cannot be lost to second homes.
These issues apply throughout the whole National Park, however the information that follows is mainly relevant to the part of the National Park that pre-dates the August 2016 extension. Information relating to policies in the National Park boundary extension areas can be found on this website and we remain committed to ensuring housing issues are addressed there as well.
Where can new homes be built?
There are lots of sites that we already know are suitable for new build housing, including:
- sites that already have planning permission;
- sites that have already been allocated for housing development; and,
- sites that appear on our brownfield land register
A comprehensive list, with details of all these sites, can be viewed here. The list includes sites suitable for new build housing as well as planning permissions for the change of use of an existing building to a dwelling. Further details about converting existing buildings to housing are set out below.
In addition, there are other sites that could be suitable for housing in each of the 49 towns and villages across the Park. Each settlement has a boundary drawn around it and sites within this boundary can be considered on their merits. We can also consider sites outside, but next to, the boundary if these are solely for affordable housing.
What type of housing can be built?
- We want a mixture of tenures, including open market, local market and affordable housing. If the site is already known to be suitable for housing, we’ve indicated the type of housing expected in the table of sites above. If it’s a new site, Local Plan policies C1 and C2 set out what type of housing will normally be required. Other bespoke types of housing can also be built, for example live work or rural workers dwellings
- We want new housing to have high quality design that responds to its context. Further detail can be found in our Design Guide
Will more land be released for housing in the future?
Yes. We are required to ensure that we maintain a sufficient supply of land to continue delivering new homes year on year. This will mean that we need to find new sites and we will be starting this process in due course. If you own or have an interest in a site that you think is suitable for housing development, please let us know about it.
What about converting existing buildings to housing?
We also want to see more existing buildings converted to housing and our planning policies are designed to help with this. A significant number of applications have already been approved under Local Plan policies, details of which can be found on the table of sites. We have a dedicated webpage dealing with converting barns to housing and other uses. Although targeted at barns, the same principles apply to all other types of traditional buildings such as former chapels or schools. Non-traditional buildings that are within the 49 towns and villages might also be converted to housing, provided this wouldn’t displace a use that is important to the local community or economy.
Want to know more?
Contact us -
If you wish to discuss a specific site for housing development, please contact our Development Management team planning@yorkshiredales.org.uk
If you wish to discuss more general issues relating to policy and process, please contact our Planning Policy team localplan@yorkshiredales.org.uk
Or phone us: 0300 456 0030
Or write to us: Yoredale, Bainbridge, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3EL
