Latest news with #YorkshireDalesNationalParkAuthority
BBC News
21 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Yorkshire Dales approves ban for new properties as holiday lets
Rules to prevent new houses in the Yorkshire Dales from being used as holiday homes have been Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) is proposing that any new housing must be used as the occupier's permanent to the 2021 census, around 22% of up to 13,100 homes in the park area were either vacant, holiday lets or second Twine, chairman of YDNPA, said that was an "exceptionally high level of under-occupied housing" when compared to a national average of 6%. "Everyone would recognise that house building must be done particularly sensitively in a national park [and] we've worked hard to identify and allocate land for development," he said."What our Local Plan policy for permanent occupancy means is that on sites of two or more dwellings, new homes will be restricted to principal occupancy only."This will avoid loss to the holiday market and ensure that new homes are lived in by people who can be socially and economically active in local communities, which is what we need."At a meeting at the YDNPA headquarters in Bainbridge on Tuesday, members agreed to submit the new Local Plan - which would run until 2040 - for approval to the government's Planning authority also formally adopted a set of objectives for an updated management plan, which include an aim to reduce the proportion of so-called under-occupied homes in the park to fewer than 20% by to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, it is hoped North Yorkshire Council's premium on council tax for second homes will work with the new occupancy restriction to help meet this target. The management plan aims to guide the work of all the organisations that operate in the national park during the next five Twine added: "The Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plan is a genuine partnership plan."It sets out an ambitious – but necessary – programme of work to which many local organisations have committed their support."Whilst it rightly focuses on tackling the challenges of climate change and the continuing decline in nature, it also identifies other opportunities to foster the social and economic wellbeing of local communities, by setting out objectives for more affordable housing, hyper-fast broadband access, and support for viable farming businesses."Mr Twine said he hoped that with each five-year review, the management plan would become more embedded in the culture of all organisations working in the park. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
26-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
No action over missed Dales National Park Authority meetings
A member of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority will not face any action despite missing three meetings in a Myers said he missed the meetings of the authority's finance and resources committee as they clashed with those of North Yorkshire Council's executive which, as a member, he was obliged to a meeting on Tuesday, members of the National Park Authority agreed Myers should not face any repercussions for said Myers was a valuable member of the authority and voted unanimously to take no action over the missed meetings. Myers represents Mid-Craven on North Yorkshire Council and is the executive member for culture, arts and to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, members of the National Park Authority heard Myers missed three committee meetings in May, October and December last year, although he did attend in February this Authority rules meant the organisation had to bring the non-attendance to the attention of the appointing body unless it was "satisfied circumstances do not warrant that course of action".Member Stuart Parsons, who represents Richmond on North Yorkshire Council, said it "doesn't hurt" to have an executive member of the council who could "go back and talk to their colleagues on that executive".Members voted unanimously not to take any action over Myers' non-attendance. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
24-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Councillor grilled on record of Yorkshire Dales Park meetings
A senior councillor could face disciplinary action over his poor attendance at finance meetings of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA).Councillor Simon Myers, who is North Yorkshire Council's executive member for culture, arts and housing, is also a member of the said he missed three YDNPA meetings in 2024 because they clashed with meetings of the council's executive, which he was obliged to of the YDNPA will decide what steps to take over the non-attendance at a full authority meeting on 25 March. 'Those are the rules' According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service Myers, who represents Mid Craven on the Conservative-led local authority, last attended a meeting of the YDNPA finance and resources committee in March then the councillor - who received the authority's basic allowance of £3,665 in 2023/24 - missed meetings in May, October and December last Tuesday, YDNPA members will be asked to decide whether to take any action against him and whether to notify the council, which appointed him to the park executive David Butterworth said in a report to members that the standing orders required him to bring the issue to the appointing body, unless the authority was "satisfied that circumstances do not warrant that course of action".He said Myers had told him that as a member of the council executive, who hold their meetings on Tuesday mornings, this had "clashed with the finance and resources committee meetings, which are also held on Tuesday mornings"."Therefore, he has faced difficulties in attending those meetings to meet his current council commitments," he Butterworth added Myers was "keen to continue to carry out his role as a full member of the authority" and pointed out finance and resources committee dates only clashed on one date in 2025, which would allow him to participate in three of four forthcoming about the potential disciplinary action, Myers said: "Those are the rules. I've missed three meetings on the trot. I'll have to make it work providing they don't sack me." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for higher phone mast in Yorkshire Dales national park
A phone mast in the Yorkshire Dales is set to increase in height to improve mobile coverage in the area. The 15m (50ft) tower, near Low Row in Swaledale, would be extended by 5m if the proposal is approved. In plans submitted to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, new antennas would be added to the mast at Gallows Top as part of the shared rural network scheme is a government project to allow the UK's four mobile operators EE, O2, Three and Vodafone to share equipment. According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the mast is already used as part of the emergency services network, with engineers proposing to move these antennas to the top of the new extension to improve Telecom, which submitted the application, said the upgrade would "negate the need for an additional structure within the vicinity". Documents stated: "It meets the criteria for sustainability; the provision of adequate telecommunications infrastructure allows people to work from home, access services, aids social inclusion and encourages investment within the national park."The extension and additional equipment have been sensitively designed and are the minimum necessary for the successful deployment of the shared rural network."The company acknowledged the increased height meant the structure would be visible across a wider area but the lattice structure would allow views through Telecom added: "The proposal would result in a moderate magnitude of visual change within the national park and any harm should be weighed against the considerable public benefit generated by the provision of the shared rural network rollout in this area." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
12-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Yorkshire Dales red squirrels 'being killed by cars on rat run'
Speeding drivers using a road as a "rat run" have been blamed for reducing a fragile population of red squirrels.A small colony of reds, which are native to the UK, lives at Widdale, near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales National is one of the few English strongholds for the species, whose numbers crashed after the introduction of the non-native grey have now been calls for more signage to be installed to protect the animals after the recent "heartbreaking" discovery of a pregnant female which had been killed by a car. Its body was found by Caroline Haworth, who runs a woodland retreat nearby."I think we are losing more red squirrels to cars than we do to grey squirrels," she told the Local Democracy Reporting blamed the number of vehicles using the narrow Lanacar Lane, which connects the A684 to Sedbergh and the B6255 to Ingleton."Unfortunately we're on a cut-through. People fly down the lane. "There's not many passing places so I think people try to get through without meeting any other vehicles."Mrs Haworth said she had contacted the highways department at North Yorkshire Council and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority for hoped signage warning drivers of the presence of squirrels on the single-track lane would be provided."We need to deter drivers from using the road as a cut-through. "If we can reduce cars in general, we can hopefully reduce fatalities."North Yorkshire councillor for the Upper Dales, Yvonne Peacock, said she would also raise the issue."The road gets used as a rat run and cars do go down there too fast."Red squirrels are supposed to be protected and we need to do what we can to stop them from being run over."The number of red squirrels has remained small because of competition for resources from greys. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
