The leader of a body charged with conserving and fostering economic and social improvements in a national park has spoken of the progress made and the challenges it has faced during a longer than anticipated period of austerity.

Carl Lis, chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said while numerous objectives of the five-year management plan it launched in 2013 had been achieved, the body remained determined to tackle a range issues which had proved difficult to resolve.

An officers’ report to the authority at the end of the plan states “good progress” had been made on the plan’s 53 objectives, with 24 goals being achieved and a further 12 on course to be completed.

Mr Lis, who has served on the authority since 1996, said: “Much has been achieved in the national park over the past five years, in what are pretty challenging times.

“The big positives include the installation of hyper-fast broadband in 11 parishes in the west of the national park; the restoration of huge areas of internationally important peatland; planting of hundreds of hectares of new native woodland; new rail sidings to serve Arcow and Dry Rigg quarries in Ribblesdale; and big increases in volunteering.

“Just in the last year the Swale Trail, a new 12-mile, family-friendly mountain bike route between Keld and Reeth has been opened and we’ve continued to make more footpaths accessible to people of all ages and abilities. At the same time, the economic value of tourism in the national park is increasing every year.”

He said the progress had been achieved through partnership, between the 13 organisations on the management plan steering group, which includes the Dales Farmer Network, the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission and authorities such as Richmondshire District Council, alongside “many individuals, local businesses and community groups who are at the heart of looking after this special place”.

Mr Lis said: “It’s rewarding to see just what can be achieved during these times of austerity.”

In total, there are 17 objectives where the authority’s desired progress has not yet been achieved, including improving the condition of conservation areas and the wider stone barns and dry stone walls’ landscape of the park.

Other areas where further action is needed include improving the condition of public rights of way, wildlife sites and rivers, the provision of housing for local residents and attracting younger people to live in the park.

The report concludes that “the longer-than anticipated period of austerity has had an impact on the speed and scale of progress in some areas”, particularly on some of the services on which local communities depend, such as schools, transport, housing, and accommodation for the elderly.

Mr Lis said: “Let’s not kid ourselves about the scale of the challenges faced by all rural areas in Northern England – an ageing population, falling school rolls, access to services and affordable housing.

“Maybe the greatest challenge is how are we going to support upland farming in a way that delivers a whole range of vital public benefits – more wildlife; flood management; clean water, and so on?

“We won’t give up on those challenges. They will be the focus of the new management plan, which will be published later this year.”