CONTROVERSIAL plans to replace former sheltered housing at Aynham Close, Grassington, have been approved by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

The Yorkshire Housing 21 flats were closed along with three other schemes in Ingleton and Skipton because they were outdated and not popular with new residents.

The flats, off Hebden Road, will be replaced with a mixture of 22 affordable homes including eight two-bedroom apartments and 14 two and three-bedroom houses.

The application was opposed by Grassington Parish Council and 30 residents of nearby Barden Fell View.

Cllr Harold Brown, chairman of the authority's planning committee, said there was a dire need for affordable housing in the national park if families were to continue to live where they were born. He added that members of the authority had agreed in September to work with housing authorities to look at practical ways of improving the supply of homes.

"This scheme fits the bill in so many ways. We recognise there were some objections to the design, but overall, we felt it was right for the long term future of Grassington."