In a unique partnership, Skipton has joined forces with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and Craven District Council to launch a five-year project aimed at providing 100 to 150 affordable houses for 'key' tradespeople to encourage them to stay in Dale's towns and villages.

If the scheme gets the go-ahead, it will start with a pilot in the Craven area of the National Park before being rolled out over a number of years at a capital cost of about £10 million. Research is currently being carried out to identify the kind of key workers - like teachers and plumbers - needed in the different communities in the Yorkshire Dales.

Once a need has been identified in an area of the National Park, the Authority will find the right sites and the landowners will be approached and asked to sell the land. Skipton Building Society will buy the land and fund the construction of two and three-bedroom homes that would be let to the key workers at below-average rents.

John Goodfellow, chief executive of Skipton Building Society, commented: "Skipton takes its role in the community very seriously and already has a strong track record of supporting and working with numerous local projects. As a building society, it is nice if these projects have a link to housing and so I am very pleased that Skipton has had a major influence in the creation of this scheme."

"By carrying out this pilot project, we hope to prove the many benefits of helping to sustain existing communities in The Dales, whilst offering affordable accommodation to people who really have something to offer the area."