A £10M project to build affordable homes for workers in the Yorkshire Dales has got the go-ahead.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has approved a plan that could see several hundred homes built in the park.

The scheme has been launched after concern residents were losing services because workers could not afford to live in the area.

David Butterworth, the national park authority's chief executive, said the aim was to encourage key workers who live in the park to stay, or to attract others into the area.

He said: "As far as I am aware this is the first scheme of its kind in the country.

"The question of access to services and affordable housing is something that is of concern to the authority and by getting involved in this scheme, we have yet again shown our commitment to the long-term future of the communities in the Dales."

Once a need for housing has been identified in an area of the national park, the authority will help to find suitable sites. Skipton Building Society would then fund construction of two and three-bedroom homes that would be let to key workers at below-market rents.

The scheme will start in the Craven area, before being extended if successful.