A planning application to reconfigure three existing dwellings at Oak Vale, Braithwaite, to provide two new build properties and retain one house in the current building has raised a strong objection from Above Derwent Parish Council.
They have opposed the proposal due to the implication in the planning application that the properties will be either open market or holiday lets.
It was pointed out in the draft minutes that the percentage of homes not used for permanent residence in the parish is already nearly 43 per cent, with more than 26 per cent of residential properties used as holiday lets.
Councillors heard this already has consequences for the vibrancy and resilience of the community, illustrated by the fact that Braithwaite Church of England School currently has only 31 pupils compared to 99 in 2014.
The latest meeting of the council heard that two of the three units are small one-bedroom apartments that are close to or below the national minimum space standards for residential accommodation and are not permanent homes.
Councillors agreed that the two new permanent three bedroom homes being proposed should therefore be secured in perpetuity for local occupancy.
Members agreed that the proposal would set a precedent for further applications along the steeply sloping site and approval would make further proposals difficult to resist.
