CONTROVERSIAL restrictions on new housing in the Yorkshire Dales could be adopted next week.

The national park authority's planning committee decides on Wednesday whether to go ahead with a occupancy policy to prevent new housing from being bought as second homes or holiday lets.

The policy, part of the authority's local plan, was backed by Government planning inspector William Carlow, who held a public inquiry last summer into objections against the plan.

He agreed that houses built in the national park in future should meet demand from local people and be more affordable. They should be smaller and, therefore, less costly, be located in villages with services and be sold with restricted occupancy.

The inspector's report supported the authority's policies to help create more and better-paid rural jobs and to provide accommodation for workers.

The committee will vote on whether to accept all the inspector's 150-plus recommendations en masse or to accept some and alter others. Any changes must be publicised to give the public the chance to object.

The authority's housing policy was brought to the attention of the Scottish Executive's communities minister, Malcolm Chisholm, by Highlands and Islands Scottish MP Maureen Macmillan.

She asked him to investigate the possibility of a similar plan for Scotland, which also suffers problems in keeping rural communities local.

A copy of the inspector's report is available on the authority's website, www.yorkshiredales.org.uk.

The planning committee meets at the Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes, at 10.30.