The Partnership's Plan - Lake District National Park

The Government’s ‘The Big Society’ initiative should support voluntary groups to run post
offices, libraries, transport services and shape housing projects. The Eden Valley has been
identified as one of four areas in the country to take forward the concept. The project area will
be given an expert organiser and dedicated civil servants to ensure ‘people power’ initiatives
get off the ground. Initiatives being championed include a local buy-out of a rural pub, efforts to
recruit volunteers to keep museums open, support to speed up broadband supply, and giving
residents more power over council spending.
3.9.4 Key partners
Most importantly, the communities themselves. But key partners in the Lake District include
the National Park Authority, Cumbria Association of Local Councils, Action with Communities
in Cumbria, Local Town and Parish Councils, District Councils, Cumbria County Council, Local
Strategic Partnerships, Neighbourhood Policing Teams and Neighbourhood Forums.
3.10 Housing
3.10.1 Facts and challenges
• Adequate housing to meet existing and future need is critical for vibrant and
sustainable communities. The National Park profile (Annex B) contains information
about the current housing stock. There is also more detail within the Cumbria Housing
Strategy (2006/11) and the Local Development Framework.
• Housing sustains individual settlements and hamlets but also preserves the character
of places. An area with a declining local population will lose its local distinctiveness and
its links with cultural heritage.
• There has been a significant increase in the ratio between earnings and house prices
across the area. The Government recommends that the ideal ratio for income to house
price is between 2.9:1 and 3.5:1, depending on whether it is a single income or dual
income. In the Central Lakes Housing Market Area this ratio is 13.6:1. Young people
and newly formed households cannot afford to buy on the local housing market, and
they leave. In some places this is particularly stark and must be reversed to help
maintain and support our communities.
• The central Lake District has some of the highest house prices in England and the
lowest wages. The demand for new affordable housing units is the issue. In contrast
the west, influenced by the Energy Coast Masterplan, demand is for higher
specification accommodation. We cannot escape the issue of an ageing population and
the challenge of providing homes for a changing population.
• According to the Cumbria Housing Strategy there are 7,374 second homes in Cumbria,
the majority – 4,136 - are concentrated in and around the Lake District and Yorkshire
Dales National Parks. The Strategy has developed a set of indicators to measure the
balance of each of the housing market areas in Cumbria. There are nine measures and
the one specific to second homes says ‘When second homes form 10 per cent or more
of the market, this appears to affect the sustainability of any village’.
• There is an issue emerging related to the ageing population. As younger people leave
and only richer households are able to buy property for retirement or second
homes/holiday lets the percentage of older households will increase. This affects the
balance of the communities but the challenge will also be to support households who
find themselves increasingly isolated. There is currently no workable mechanism to
tackle this issue.
49