Planning change would ‘destroy’ national parks, say chiefs

England’s national parks would be “destroyed” by proposed government rules that would allow landowners to convert barns into houses without planning permission, critics have said. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has launched a consultation into new legislation that would extend permitted development rights to allow farmers to turn agricultural buildings within protected landscapes into homes. The consultation states: “We want to give farmers greater freedom to change the use of their existing buildings to residential use and support the delivery of new homes in rural communities.” However, national park chiefs have said the proposals could cause thousands of new developments to mar the views in some of England’s most beautiful areas. David Butterworth, chief executive of the Yorkshire Dales national park, said the idea that “6,500 field barns in the Yorkshire Dales could be converted into homes” was “bonkers”. “If I was trying to devise a policy that would essentially lead to the destruction of Yorkshire Dales National Park, this would be the policy,” he added. The Guardian