Wensleydale residents asked to take part in housing needs survey

People living in several Wensleydale communities are being encouraged to take part in a survey which will help identify future housing needs.

The survey is being sent by post in early June to people living in the parishes of Redmire with Castle Bolton, Wensley and Carperby.
It has been commissioned by landowners, the Bolton Estate, which said it was seeking to understand the local housing needs and future requirements.

Simon Brown, estate manager for the Bolton Estate, said the aim of the survey was to establish whether there was a need for any further housing or facilities, including affordable housing, family housing, single person housing, self-build or accommodation for those with special or unique circumstances for local people living and/or working in the parishes.

“We are carrying out the survey because we understand the concern about the lack of suitable housing, including affordable housing, for people from the area who have struggled to get on the property ladder and may have had leave the village communities to seek housing elsewhere.

“We are interested in hearing from people in housing need or those who anticipate their housing needs may change in the near future and wish to stay locally, and therefore we encourage as many as possible to fill in and return the survey by freepost.

“If a need is proven, it will help us to determine the number and type of properties that are needed and we will then look to identify potential sites which could result in appropriate housing development with priority for local people and matching demand.”

Bolton Estates said that following the survey, a public consultation day would be held if there were are any suitable sites that could provide suitable housing for local people.

The exercise is taking place as North Yorkshire Council works on a new local plan for the county, which will govern where new housing can be built in the future.

One of the sites submitted so far is a large plot owned by the Bolton Estate on the edge of Redmire.