THE Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is being urged to relax planning rules on barn conversions to help local people stay in the area in which they were brought up.

Member John Blackie is pushing for changes in the Local Plan to allow barn conversions for local housing.

In addition, he wants a change in policy so barn conversions could be approved for local housing if they met the criteria, currently laid down for holiday cottages under farm diversification schemes.

At present, barn conversion policies take into consideration residential conversion outside settlements and their effect on the surrounding area, the conversion of traditional buildings and whether there is a specific employment need such as agricultural and forestry workers, and farm diversification schemes.

Recently Coun Blackie organised a 1,519 petition against the authority's refusal to allow the conversion of a barn at Cams House, near Hawes, for a family with three children, because it did not meet Yorkshire Dales National Park policies.

At many national park meetings, he has said there is a definite local housing need in the area which needs to be addressed.

His latest comments came at a meeting of the committee in Hawes when he stated there was a big need for local housing in and around Ingleton.

He said an official survey - carried out by Craven Housing Association - had revealed 125 families with a housing need.

Coun Blackie was speaking in favour of the conversion of a barn at Springcote, near Ingleton.

The barn was within an existing farmstead, but did not meet national park policy and it was recommended for refusal.

Other members said allowing the conversion would "free up" a terraced house in the village which the applicant owned, thus providing a young couple or family with the chance to gain affordable housing.

The committee voted to approve the plans subject to a legal occupancy agreement being drawn up.

Coun Blackie has indicated that if his ideas are not accepted by the authority and the draft Local Plan is not amended to allow barn conversions under certain conditions, he would lodge a formal objection.

But, in reply, national park chief executive David Butterworth said: "What needs to be remembered is that the national park authority has no direct role in providing affordable housing. That is the responsibility of the district councils, often working with housing associations."

He added: "What the national park can do, and what we are doing, is to develop new policies that will provide the capacity to build up to 700 new houses or conversions, in appropriate locations, with the overwhelming majority being reserved for local occupancy."

He also noted several instances where personal and individual circumstances of the applicant had been used as a reason for dismissing policy.

Peter Stockton, strategic planning officer for the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said some representations directed towards the authority's barn conversion policies were received last year during public consultation.

He said: "A working group of members and officers has discussed each represent- ation and their findings will be reported to a meeting of the planning committee March 17.

"Where possible the working group has tried to amend the plan to accommodate the representations.

"However some of the objections fundamentally challenge the authority's housing strategy and consequently the working group has not always been able to reach a solution over these.

"All unresolved objections will now go forward to the Local Plan Inquiry, which I anticipate being held later this year or early next.

"At the inquiry, an inspector will consider evidence from both sides and then make recommendations to the authority for changes, if considered necessary.

"After the meeting of the planning committee in March, the authority will publish a second deposit plan which will set out its changes as a consequence of last year's consultation.

"I would anticipate this being available some time in April. There are no recommendations to substantially change the authority's conversion policy."

Mr Stockton concluded: "At this stage new objections can only be made to aspects of the plan that change between first and second deposit. Wholly new objections to policies that do not change will not be accepted and cannot go forward to the inquiry."