Sir, - Can anyone else see the contradiction in planning policies for local people in the dales? On the one hand a planning application for a barn conversion for a local family who wish to remain within the community they live in is refused. On the other the Yorkshire Dales National Park is in favour of approving the building of new blocks of "local need" housing on greenfield (countryside) sites on the edges of villages...Askrigg being next on the list again.

You have to assume from this that it is therefore OK for the local community, who desperately need houses, to live in new-build enclaves, but not to have the same rights as the rest of the population when it comes to converting agricultural barns and living in a dales house that looks like all the rest.

The message that appears to be coming from the national park is that it doesn't care about the long-term needs of the communities in the park. If it did, it would be advocating solutions to the housing problem that are sustainable, put the local community first and enable locals to live within their communities.

Instead the locals, and the young people who are the future of our area, are increasingly sidelined, stigmatised and shunted into blocks of social "low-cost" housing. This is little more than a sticking plaster solution that barely works in an urban area; I am horrified that anyone could think it would be applicable to a rural one.

It is time the community stood up and lobbied loudly to get some common sense applied before dales communities collapse altogether under the weight of holiday lets and second homes.

It is time the Yorkshire Dales National Park authority looked long and hard at its members to see just how well they understand the communities they have such influence over.

R BERRY

Mill Lane,

Askrigg.

Sir, - The muddle over the application to convert the barn into an affordable home for a local family in Wensleydale must be sorted out. The family must be supported. This is a test case which could affect many other local residents in rural areas.

The Easingwold and Villages Community Plan steering group has just approved its plan for publication. One of the plan's Issues for Action is to: "campaign for affordable housing and starter homes to buy and for letting, to stem the exodus of young people and young families from the area."

Hawes and High Abbotside Parish Council: you are not alone.

MARTIN WHILLOCK

Chairman, Easingwold and Villages Community Plan.

Judge for yourself

Sir, - The letter from a Mr Piggott-Smythe (D&S, Jan 17) caused some confusion. It contained a number of allegations about the Lower Ure Conservation Trust relating to its nature reserve at Nosterfield - they are completely untrue.

According to the paper's own record, two correspondents wrote with similar points - a 'T J F Piggott-Smythe' of West Tanfield and 'Mrs M J Sinker' of Nosterfield. Despite considerable efforts to trace these individuals though directory enquiries, local village enquiries and the electoral register, others and myself have been unable to do so.

We are at all times willing to discuss genuine concerns. The issues mentioned in the letters have been raised in the past, thoroughly investigated by various bodies and found to be untrue. Repeating them, however often , will not make them become true.

We are very happy for people to judge us on our record and feel that much of the success we have enjoyed in fundraising reflects this. Please will D&S readers visit this superb site and make the judgment for themselves; we feel sure that they will appreciate and enjoy it.

SIMON WARWICK

Director, Lower Ure Conservation Trust,

Sharow,

Ripon.

Forum for whom?

Sir, - Due to personal commitments, I was unable to attend the last A1 Corridor Parish Forum meeting, but as a councillor member of this forum I would have had no more than two minutes in which to raise any matter or comment.

Councillors from outside the forum area were allotted 35 minutes and the Leader of Council an unspecified length of time.

But this is all trivial to the fact that, as far as I am aware, only two items were raised directly by the parishes. The rest of the agenda was compiled by Richmondshire District Council.

I suggest parish forums be controlled by parishes and the chairman of the meetings to be parish councillors and certainly not by Richmondshire District Council ruling group members. This would be a new democracy and could start with meetings of chairmen of parishes, per parish forum area, to see if parishes want forums and what parishes want to discuss.

Coun TONY PELTON

High Green,

Catterick Village.