Officials have no plans to earmark any housing sites in the Peak District over the next 20 years, instead encouraging sub-dividing large homes and building in gardens.

Plans released by the Peak District National Park Authority, which oversees housing and development in the area, outline no aim to allocate new sites to meet national targets.

The Peak Park covers half of the Derbyshire Dales and much of the High Peak, with those council areas only having control over housing targets for part of their geographical coverage.

In its draft Local Plan, which is currently out for public consultation ahead of submission to planning inspectors, officials say there is an aim to see 1,740 homes built in the Peak Park by 2045.

This would amount to 87 per year for 20 years, 30 of which each year would be badged as affordable housing.

However, officials say their aim is to do this without earmarking any new housing sites, saying to set aside areas for new homes would "not be appropriate".

They said: "The Local Plan does not allocate development sites or set out development boundaries because there is no planned growth in response to nationally prescribed housing targets.

"The plan does support proportionate, small-scale and organic change to support thriving and sustainable communities. Therefore finding development opportunities in or on the edge of settlements is a key aspect of the development strategy.

"Housing sites are not allocated. Instead the Settlement Character Analysis and Landscape Character Assessments provide a high-level spatial assessment of the sensitivity of settlement edge landscapes to housing and other development that is permitted in principle. "The Authority will continue to work closely with the housing authority, landowners, parish councils and developers to find sites and bring them forward.

"Other than as set out above, open-market homes are not permitted.

"Development sites are extremely scarce. Greenfield sites with 100 per cent affordable housing are viable with significant levels of grant and local authority funding.

"Using the development of market homes to cross-subsidise locally-needed affordable homes would result in at least 70 per cent of any homes built being for market sale and cause land values to rise.

"This is not sustainable or appropriate in a national park. The authority will continue to work closely with the housing authorities to explore funding sources and different affordable tenures to address viability issues.

"It is not appropriate to permit new housing simply in response to the significant open market demand to live in its sought-after environment.

"The limited number of opportunities for new residential development emphasises the importance of providing affordable homes for local people in eligible affordable housing need who cannot compete in the open housing market rather than catering for a wider catchment area."

Officials say a large proportion of the Peak District population 'live in properties that are bigger than they need' and that many of these are detached houses.

They write: "The authority supports the provision of new housing created through the sub-division of dwellings to provide residential accommodation that better responds to a local community's needs and in residential gardens in settlements

"Where appropriate there may be opportunities for dwellings to be sub-divided or new housing built within their gardens to make more effective use of land and better respond to local housing need in support of thriving and sustainable communities."

Policies on affordable housing include restricting occupation to people who have lived in that part of Peak District National Park, or an adjoining parish, for at least 10 years.

If no applications to buy or rent these affordable homes are made by people with a 10-year link, the category broadens to a five-year connection; then to people whose parents, siblings or children have a five-year link, followed by a two-year link.

The draft Local Plan does not allocate any permanent Gypsy and Traveller sites, saying all would be in constant review, with the Peak Park Authority saying it had not identified a need.

However, it said: "Nevertheless, the authority accepts that over the plan period exceptional circumstances might justify small-scale provision of one or two pitches subject to identified need and in a suitable location. Planning permission will not be permanent and the need for a site will be kept under review."

The 2023 Gypsy and Traveller site assessment for Derbyshire and the Peak District, found no sites currently being available in the Peak Park and with no requirement to earmark a site up until 2040.

With half of the Derbyshire Dales lying in the Peak District, the report says the Dales should work with the Peak Park on how the needs of two specific families, who are registered as homeless, can be met going forward, with both sharing the obligation – instead of the Dales solely shouldering the requirement.