The leader of a major northern council has called for a ban on newbuild properties becoming holiday lets or second homes.

Carl Les (main picture), who leads North Yorkshire Council, is also calling for local authorities to be given the powers to restrict new home ownership to local people.

Timely

His comments are timely as a ban on building of new holiday lets and second homes is being proposed by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA).

YDNPA’s proposal, that will affect as many as 11 Yorkshire villages, is being discussed as part of its wider planning policies that will guide developments in the park for the next 15 years.

And opinions are divided between locals who support the plan and others who believe it will devastate the area’s tourism.

If you build a new property or convert a property it’s got to have a local use.”

Les told the Yorkshire Post: “If you build a new property or convert a property it’s got to have a local use, rather than become a holiday let or a second home.

“The easier the Government can make the planning process for brownfield sites and the more money they could give to councils to help support the development costs that come with a brownfield site, like decontamination, that would be helpful.

Double council tax

“The other side of the coin is to put in the restrictions, like the national parks have got.”

North Yorkshire Council has already said it will double council tax for second home owners from next month.

“We are the only council in England saying that we are going to spend 100 per cent of that second homes premium on housing issues,” Les said.