CRAVEN would have to provide 288 homes every year over the next five years to meet the demand for affordable homes.

The district's proportion of rented stock is one of the lowest in the country and 1,624 individuals have left Craven over the last five years, particularly from rural areas, because they could find no suitable accommodation.

The figures have been released by Craven District Council following a survey of housing needs across the district.

The findings will be used to shape the council's policy over the next 15 years as part of its Local Development Framework, which the council has a statutory obligation to produce to replace its existing Local Plan.

The findings are the results of 5,265 returned surveys from 21,406 questionnaires sent out. The survey also used data from the 2001 census and Land Registry.

The results are likely to strengthen the council's and national park's policies ensuring that new developments include a high proportion of "affordable" homes.

One of the first such affordable developments was in Kettlewell, which was visited by the Prince of Wales. In Ingleton a similar scheme is part completed.

Planning committees now require developers to provide an element of low cost homes in every application for multi-dwelling schemes.

The survey showed that house prices in Craven exceeded the North Yorkshire average. Craven's proximity to West Yorkshire encouraged commuters and its high quality environment, good schools and low crime rates have fuelled the demand.

The 2001 census showed that in a 12-month period, 5,596 people in the district moved - 53.8 per cent within the district but the rest moved into Craven from elsewhere in the UK, particularly West Yorkshire and the North West.

A fundamental problem for Craven is its low proportion of social rented stock.

Only 9.2 per cent of households rent from a social landlord such as Craven Housing, which took over the council's housing stock. The average for the Yorkshire region is 21 per cent.

This low percentage limits the opportunities for people who cannot afford to buy or rent on the open market and forces them to stay at home, live with friends or family, leave the area and, in the worst cases, can lead to homelessness.

The study revealed a scale of hidden homelessness which the council described as "staggering". It found that more than 2,000 of Craven's population of 53,700 were staying temporarily with another household in the 12 months to June 2005.

The survey showed that 1,226 new household were expected to form over the next five years and 75 per cent would be unable to afford to buy or rent on the open market. The figure does not include people living in unsuitable accommodation.

The need for affordable homes has been quantified at 288 per year, 75 of them in the national park. The consultants who compiled the data recommend that almost three quarters of them should be properties to rent, the rest having shared ownership and shared equity.

The study also gave a snapshot of demand on the open market. In the last five years 7,196 households had moved, 47.5 per cent of them coming into the area from outside Craven and of these a quarter were retiring to the area.

Demand for owner-occupied homes exceeds supply in most areas, with particular pressures in Skipton, Embsay, the Aire Valley and Lothersdale.

The predictions are that Craven's population will become older. In the 2001 census 26 per cent of Craven's population was aged 60 or more - by the 2021 census that figure is expected to rise to 35.2 per cent.

"These results show that demand for affordable housing across the district significantly exceeds supply and is key to guiding the council's future approach to affordable housing," said Coun Eric Jaquin, portfolio holder for housing needs on Craven District Council. "The facts are indisputable, there is a real housing need across the district.

"One of the council's main priorities is to ensure this issue, which affects many of our residents, is corrected. We must now move forward and take action to progress the number of affordable housing schemes in the pipeline for Craven, developing and maintaining an adequate supply of local housing needs and making a real difference to our communities."

o The survey was conducted by David Cumberland Housing Regeneration Ltd. Questionnaires were sent to every household outside Skipton and about a quarter of Skipton households - a total of 21,406. Of those, 5,265 were returned (24.6 per cent) with most giving income details, allowing the council to make its predictions about profitability.