Criticism as ‘affordable’ Yorkshire Dales national park houses marketed at up to £320,000

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is facing criticism after it emerged properties built as part of a flagship affordable housing scheme designed to enable young people to get a “first foot on the property ladder” are being marketed at up to £320,000.

A Yorkshire Dales community leader and local families have said the shared ownership properties at The Hornblower Court development in Bainbridge, the cost of which averages at £278,000, are in no way affordable and have done nothing to ease the housing crisis in Wensleydale or the national park.

The development in the highly protected area was only given consent on condition that it delivered affordable housing.

Under the scheme, potential buyers wanting a 25% share in a £320,000 end of terrace three-bedroom property would pay a weekly rent of £126.92 while also paying off their £80,000 contribution.

The homes are being marketed under shared ownership following the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority being threatened by a neighbouring resident to the site with High Court action over its decision to approve the original scheme, which saw the most expensive property priced at £196,000.

In 2019, averting potential huge court costs, the park authority conceded £196,000 was not affordable for many local residents and started working with Broadacres Housing Association on an alternative scheme.

After the house prices were revealed, Bainbridge residents described the development as a missed opportunity to stem the departure of young people from the area.

One resident, whose name is withheld, said: 

“How can a house that was not affordable at £196,000 for 100% ownership become affordable when it now costs £320,00 for 80% ownership? It absolutely stinks.”

Upper Dales councillor Yvonne Peacock added: 

“How can anyone local possibly afford to live in them?

“If the park authority had gone ahead with the original scheme the houses would have cost up to £124,000 less than they do now. When challenged they were not brave enough to stand their ground and by members’ convictions.

“The original affordable housing scheme was passed twice, unanimously, by members and after a resident threatened a judicial review they backed down and went for affordable housing through shared ownership and look what we are left with.”

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Member champion for sustainable development at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, Richard Foster, said the authority was examining how it could ensure a range of affordable housing tenures were available in its forthcoming Local Plan.

He said: 

“We are in a desirable area and it does price the lower end of the market out.

“These houses may not be affordable to everybody, but hopefully there will be locals out there who can afford these houses.

“It is not affordable in the purest sense of the word, but it is making a type of housing affordable for people who can’t afford because they live in a national park and have a job in a national park.”

Broadacres’ director Helen Fielding said the housing association fully understand many local people in rural parts of North Yorkshire found it difficult to buy a home in their home communities because prices are so high, particularly in the national park.

She added: 

“Our shared ownership homes at Bainbridge offer people with a connection to the area the opportunity to buy as little as a ten per cent share in their home, in the first instance, for just £24,000 and then pay a subsidised rent on the remaining share.

“This means that people can get that all important first foot on the property ladder with a smaller initial deposit and in future, if their circumstances permit, they may buy additional shares in their home, further reducing the amount of rent they pay on the unsold share.

“We know how important it is to rural life for local people to find suitable homes in the communities they grow up in, and we’re committed to helping people find their forever homes close to family, friends and work.”

Yorkshire Dales’ key purpose could change for climate change

Custodians of the Yorkshire Dales National Park have questioned whether its main purposes need to change to help tackle climate change.

A meeting of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority heard the organisation was expected to lead the way over tackling climate change, but a consultants’ study found the level of emissions generated by visitors  were similar to those created by its residents.

The meeting heard that mainly due to the lack of public transport, visitors generated about two-thirds of residents’ emissions by just travelling to the area and returning home.

However, the carbon footprint of the residents of the national park is estimated to be around 18 per cent higher than the UK average.

The residents’ emissions from flying are estimated to be around 48 per cent higher than for an average UK resident.

Member champion for the natural environment Mark Corner told the meeting although the park authority could not dictate how visitors travelled to and from the park, it could encourage greener transport.

He said:

“Once drivers get to the park they have a very limited ability to get round other than the cars they come in. We need to look again at our public transport approach.”

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Nick Cotton, the authority’s recreation management member champion, questioned whether national parks should continue to promote themselves as international destinations given the large volumes of greenhouse gases that air travel generates.

He said:

“If we are saying come to beautiful Britain to the wealthy, developing countries in the Far East then aren’t we shooting ourselves in the foot a bit because we are actually encouraging more flights and more greenhouse gas emissions.”

Another member, Kevin Frea, called for the authority to relook at alternative ways of travelling to and around the park, pointing out how 36% of the park’s carbon emissions related to car travel.

Richard Foster, the leader of Craven District Council, also questioned whether it was right for the park be promoted nationally and internationally, through events such as the Tour de Yorkshire cycling race.

In response, the authority’s chief executive David Butterworth said while the authority had some influence on the park, it was not among the top five organisations that could make significant changes.

He said the national park was still being promoted to British and foreign tourists because the law had not caught up with the reality of climate change.

Mr Butterworth said he believed there was a contradiction between needing to tackle climate change and national parks’ statutory purposes.

He said he was optimistic the new government would review whether the climate change and nature emergencies should be enshrined in national parks’ main purposes.

Mr Butterworth told the meeting:

“The law says national park authorities exist to promote understanding and enjoyment. We have taken that over 50 years to mean that means promoting visitor numbers.”

He said national parks were in need of “better and stricter guidance” from central government over how they should be responding to climate change.

Yorkshire Dales National Park enjoys £350,000 post-lockdown boom

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has forecasted an extra £350,000 income for the year due to visitors flocking back after lockdown restrictions eased.

A financial progress report for the period from 1 April to 31 August said the authority revised its budget in May to assume a number of services would be seriously diminished or stopped altogether.

But the situation changed when car parks and visitor centres reopened later that month and visitors flooded to the national park to walk and enjoy the outdoors.

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The report said this had an ‘extremely positive’ effect on finances and there was now ‘no emerging risk of a financial shortfall’.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park

The report, which will be considered by the authority’s finance and resource committee next week, also revealed expenditure is £253,000 less than forecast.

It adds:

“Although the current projection is considerably more positive than had been allowed for in the revised budget, it does assume that the second half of 2020/21 will be unaffected by covid, both in terms of income (especially from visitors and planning applications) and expenditure on programmes.”

The full report can be read here.