OWNERS of housing sites in the Yorkshire Dales are being urged to 'get building' in order to support the housing ambitions of North Yorkshire Council.

The plea to those with planning permissions in place follows the approval for the development of nine new homes at Giggleswick, near Settle, which has taken 10 years to come to fruition.

The planned development off Stackhouse Lane, Giggleswick, includes the creation of four open market homes and five more affordable dwellings aimed at local people.

Richard Foster, member champion for sustainable development at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: “It’s great news to finally be able to move forward with this development, which was originally earmarked as a site for housing development around 10 years ago.

"I would like to thank the developer for working closely with us on an appropriate design and mix of accommodation for the site."

He added: “With the urgent need for affordable housing firmly in the spotlight right now, I would encourage residents and landowners who have existing planning permissions, or who own allocated housing sites in the local plan, to move their projects forward. The national park authority has approved 445 new houses over the last five years, so there is a supply of new homes waiting to be built now.

“We need to support the local councils in helping to get affordable housing built in the national park, so households growing up in the area or working here can contribute positively to keeping schools open, retaining local services and contributing to the local economy. The sooner we can move forward with some of these sites the sooner housing becomes available for our local communities.

“The new Government has said much about planning reforms and one area that might be worth more discussion is how to ensure, once planning permissions for homes have been granted or land has been set aside for housing, that these homes actually get built. We have tens of thousands of homes across North Yorkshire where this is the case. I’d suggest people need to use it or lose it.”

A development site with permission to build a row of three houses is currently on the market with a guide price of £215,000. The selling agents describe the site as of 'interest to builders and developers' with the homes ideally for first time buyers. The homes will be subject to a local occupancy clause.