THE importance of keeping dark skies and tranquility in the North York Moors National Park are among the key issues in its new blueprint for the next decade.

New policies outlined at a meeting of the planning committee at Helmsley, said protecting the park's dark skies from light pollution, and its qualities of tranquility and a sense of remoteness were vital to its future.

Policy officer Jane Davies said: "There are now three dark sky discovery sites in the park at Sutton Bank, Dalby Forest and Danby Moors Centre" and added it was hoped they could be included in an international dark sky places programme.

"Planning is a key area which can influence the quality of night skies. It can do this primarily by refusing harmful development in inappropriate locations and by controlling the amount and type of external lighting."