Barn conversion planning proposal is bonkers - Yorkshire Dales boss

The potential move would leave thousands of barns open for conversion in the Yorkshire Dales, the park authority's chief executive says

A proposal to allow landowners to covert barns into homes in protected areas without planning consent is "bonkers", a national park chief said.

The potential relaxation of the planning system was recently outlined in a government consultation.

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority chief executive David Butterworth said it would "decimate" park landscapes.

"Any developments must be beautiful and enhance the environment," a government spokesperson said.

The consultation says barns which are no longer on "established agricultural units" may be changed under an extension of permitted developments.

"We want to give farmers greater freedom to change the use of their existing buildings to residential use and support the delivery of new homes in rural communities," it reads.

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority chief executive David Butterworth describes the proposal as "crackers"

But Mr Butterworth said the proposal would mean up to 6,500 field barns across the 841 square miles (2,178 sq km) of the national park could be converted.

"If I was trying to devise a policy that would essentially lead to the destruction of Yorkshire Dales National Park, this would be the policy," he said.

"It is one of the most bonkers examples of environmental destruction I could think of. I am extremely concerned that this has been introduced now with an eight-week consultation. It is just crackers."

'Destroy finest landscapes'

The plan has been linked to government attempts to find ways to increase housebuilding in the face of a national housing shortage, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Chris France, director of planning at the North York Moors National Park Authority, said: "The proposal to take barn conversions outside the planning process completely disenfranchises local populations, neighbours and in national parks, the nation, because we wouldn't have any input into whether we think a proposal is acceptable.

"This isn't going to deliver more housing for local people, which is what's needed, it will just deliver more holiday homes and destroy our finest landscapes at the same time."

A spokesperson for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said: "This consultation remains open and we will consider all responses, including that from National Parks UK, before coming to a decision.

"We have been clear that any developments must be beautiful and enhance the environment."