Residents vow to fight new homes plan

A number of sites including land in Theshfield have been put forward for potential development

Residents have said they will fight to save their village in the Yorkshire Dales from the organisation that should be protecting it.

Plans by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) could see 135 homes built in Threshfield, leading to a 50% increase on the number of houses already in the village.

Resident Stephen Little said the proposals contradicted the authority's purpose to "enhance or maintain the beauty" of the area.

The YDNPA said a public consultation on potential housing sites was under way and a final decision would not be taken until it had finished.

In 2021, the authority agreed a housing target of 50 houses per year between 2025-2040.

The proposals form part of the Local Plan for 2025 to 2040, which sets out policies to guide what development can and cannot take place in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Stephen Little said it was the number of homes that residents opposed

A total of 23 “preferred” sites have been put forward for the building of new homes.

Mr Little, who is part of the Threshfield Village Development Concern Group, said residents were not opposed to all house building in Threshfield but it was the numbers proposed.

He said residents thought it would be "proportionate" for 35 homes to be built around Threshfield rather than more than 100.

"What we think is completely unacceptable is planning to build four times this number of houses and ruining the village in the process," he said.

Councillor Richard Foster, who sits on YDNPA board, said 800 more homes were needed over the next 15 years for the national park to thrive.

"It is a real conundrum for us but we have a housing shortage like the rest of nation does and in fact it's probably more acute in rural areas."

'More affordable housing'

The YDNPA said the issue of future housing in Threshfield "was of fundamental importance to everyone who lives or works in upper Wharfedale, and who want to see its schools and local services stay open, and the local economy flourish".

Mr Foster, member champion for sustainable development for the authority, said: "While we appreciate the concerns of this particular group of residents, our approach is to support the local councils to get more affordable housing built in the right places in order to help keep the Yorkshire Dales National Park a thriving area."

He said consultations were under way on all potential sites and encouraged residents to make their views known.

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