PLANS to provide more affordable homes in the Yorkshire Dales have been welcome by an environmental watchdog.

The Yorkshire Dales Society describes the national park authority's proposal to restrict the sale of new housing and barn conversions to key workers and locals as "courageous".

The new planning legislation is being considered after concern that demand for second homes, holiday lets and retirement homes is pushing up property prices beyond the reach of local people.

The society's secretary, Colin Speakman, said in the organisation's quarterly review that the national park authority should now ensure problems created by the policy were avoided.

"Ensuring that the Dales economy remains healthy and communities remain socially diverse will depend on creating enough homes for young working families," he said.

"It will require a combination of imagination, political courage and determination to find ways around all the inevitable obstacles, pitfalls and loopholes that will be put in the way.

"But the national park authority has taken an important step in the right direction and this is something that the Yorkshire Dales Society fully supports."

Mr Speakman said he was backing the policy, even though many of the society's 1,700 members, who hope to retire to the area or rented a holiday cottage in the summer, could lose out.

"Even if the new policies make this more difficult or expensive for us to do so, we would all admit that it is the right price to pay to keep the Dales alive, not just a retreat for the affluent old and grey," he said.

The society says new affordable rented or shared equity property is still needed in the Dales.

It has applauded a scheme being pioneered by Skipton Building Society, in partnership with the park authority and Craven Council, to build properties in the park for rent at less than market rate.

Shared equity schemes would also allow a young couple to gain a foothold on the housing market ladder without being forced to live in poverty with a large mortgage, said Mr Speakman, who added that it would be wrong to let design standards slip when building affordable housing.