Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP) is considering banning new holiday lets and second homes as a way of promoting homes for local people. It is part of the new plan which will be put out for consultation next year. The idea is that any new homes that are built will be sold only to those who plan on living their permanently. They have earmarked a few sites for new homes so they hope this stipulation would increase the housing provision for locals, or at least for incomers who plan on putting down roots in the area.
It is interesting to speculate what would have happened in the Cairngorm National Park if this had been the policy. How many homes in all the new developments are lived in the year round and how many are second homes or holiday lets?
Of course property developers will not be happy. They can make more money by selling properties at inflated prices to those who are well-off enough to buy a second home and to buy-to-let companies and individuals. This also goes for the better-off locals who often own holiday let properties themselves.
However, these homes may still be unaffordable to many locals. It will be interesting to see whether the new housing developments in the YDNP will be for social rent or sold at prices that the less well-of locals can afford, such as those working in the hospitality sector.
The other issue is who will benefit from these housing developments. It is most likely to be current landowners who will make money from selling the land to developers or else build houses themselves and sell them on. It might be an idea to consider community ownership, putting all the new homes in a Community Land Trust.
Also, so many homes are already second homes or holiday lets, that it might be an idea to consider making it obligatory to sell these to permanent residents when they come on the market.
https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/yorkshire-dales-second-home-ban-b2665019.html
Land for What? Land for Whom? 