Helmsley residents are urged to have their say over plans to convert the current headquarters of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park Authority’s into housing.

The park authority is holding two public drop-in sessions in the building, which is also known as The Old Vicarage, and has been home to the body since the 1970s.

The sessions will take place on Wednesday July 10 and Thursday July 11 in the committee room of the building on Bondgate. Staff will be available to discuss the proposals and answer questions during that time.

The plans, which can already be viewed either in person at the Old Vicarage or on the planning pages of the National Park Authority’s website, seek permission for the Grade II listed building to be converted into five open-market properties.

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To achieve this, the scheme proposes to demolish the existing poor-quality extension and construct a new, two-storey residence. In total, the plans propose creating two, two-bedroom houses and three further apartments.

While the Old Vicarage has been the authority’s HQ for 50 years, the introduction of flexible working since the Covid 19-pandemic, coupled with the costs and practicality of retrofitting a listed property means the building is no longer suited to this role.

The authority adds the building also sits within a cluster of private homes, with staff and visitors parking in surrounding streets, so in planning policy terms sits uneasily in a wholly residential area.

Instead, it believes by returning Old Vicarage back to its original intended residential use will better conserve the integrity of the listed building and its internal character for future generations.

Then, the authority hopes to move to a new location in Riccall Drive, Helmsley, on land it has recently acquired.

The statutory period for members of the public to comment on the applications closes on Wednesday 17 July, though comments received after this date will still be considered.

A decision is likely to made at a meeting of the Local Planning Authority in September.

Chris France, Director of Planning at the North York Moors National Park Authority, said: “We understand the importance and prominence of this historic building in the town and that the proposals must be in keeping with surrounding buildings and the wider setting.

“The existing 1970s rear extension does not contribute positively to the building and its demolition would allow for the construction of a property that gives a nod to the historic coach house once present in this location. This would be within the footprint of the current extension and therefore the layout of the whole site will remain largely as it is now.”

Comment forms and full details of the applications can be found on the Planning Explorer pages of the National Park Authority’s website, by searching for application numbers NYM/2024/0413 and NYM/2024/0416.