Two county councils have written to the Secretary of State asking for the cancellation of Article 4 Directions in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Richmondshire District Council writes:
Richmondshire District Council and North Yorkshire County Council have written to Eric Pickles MP the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Owen Patterson MP, the Secretary of State for the Environment, asking them to cancel the Article 4 Order made by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) at its meeting on 25 March 2014.
The Order made by the National Park seeks to remove permitted development rights which would allow the conversion of barns and other agricultural buildings to flexible commercial uses including shops, restaurants, offices, hotels and sports halls without the need for planning permission.
The District Council and County Council are of the view that by imposing the need to apply for planning permission the YDNPA are acting contrary to the desire of central and local government to stimulate economic growth in rural areas and that the Yorkshire Dales will be at odds with the planning regime operating everywhere else in the country.
In particular they believe the proposal:
- Strikes directly against their roles as the joint economic development authorities for all of Richmondshire, including that part within the YDNP.
- Undermines the statutory duty they both have to promote at all times the economic and social well being of residents and businesses wherever they are in the County of North Yorkshire.
- Denies planning rights within Richmondshire to those engaged in agriculture as a business, rights that are freely available in the remainder of England.
- Creates a two-tier planning regime in Richmondshire when there are many disadvantages to local communities in making the YDNP unique in this regard and no case for doing so.
- Fails to take into account the deeply rural / rural / agricultural nature of Richmondshire, the 6th most sparsely populated District in England, where there is a huge dependence on the highly vulnerable upland system of farming.
Cllr. John Blackie, Leader of Richmondshire District Council said ‘The relaxation of planning controls would greatly assist in boosting farm incomes, tourism, business for the host of small construction trades that are a feature of the National Park and the general prosperity of the local communities and local economies. The YDNPA are wrong to try to control these key opportunities for enterprise via a stifling Article 4 Order, and I hope the Ministers will agree with us and reject their request.’
And North Yorkshire County Council Executive Member for Highways and Planning Services Councillor Gareth Dadd added, ‘We understand the need to care for the unique heritage of the Yorkshire Dales, but in a sparsely populated area such as this, maintaining heritage means we also have to help communities to be sustainable and to thrive socially and economically. We cannot agree with the imposition of rigid planning controls in this way; we have to support our hard-pressed agricultural communities to develop their businesses into the future.’
