RESIDENTS living in one of North Yorkshire's largest and most remote parishes have put forward a catalogue of ideas to improve their quality of life.

People living in the vast area covered by the parish council of Danby, Castleton, Westerdale, Commondale, Ainthorpe, and Fryup, abutting Rosedale and Farndale in the North York Moors National Park, have drawn up a parish plan against the backdrop of the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak which hit several farms in the area.

It is now being seen as a potential blueprint for other villages in the park, including those in the Ryedale area.

It is an area steeped in history. Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at the landmark Danby Castle, which was also the home at one point of Catherine Parr, the last of Henry VIII's six wives, while the Danby parish is listed in the Domesday Book.

Fraser Hugill, the project officer for the farm and rural community scheme run by the park authority, said: "The parish is a picture of an idyllic place to live. But it was recognised that while the residents treasured the past and the beautiful place they live in, there was a need to move forward. The catalyst for this was the FMD outbreak and the realisation that, as a community, the people had the ability to influence the future direction of the parish."

More than half of households (54pc) returned an in-depth questionnaire which was delivered to the 1,512 residents. Following a packed public meeting, 32 volunteers came forward to help produce the plan and attended 27 meetings.

Mr Hugill said the findings of the report are to be fed back to the Government's Countryside Agency to help influence the development of future rural policy.

The wide-ranging survey covered employment, tourism, child care, public transport, road dangers, tourist car parking, affordable homes, health needs, shops and communications.

The report says that the biggest difficulty raised by residents was ungritted roads, with complaints that some are not gritted at all.

As a result, it is planned to press the highway authority to improve the situation by giving grants to local farmers to carry out the work.

Some 67pc of responding households highlighted danger spots on roads in the area, particularly the junction at Lockwood Beck and Danby road end. Locals successful campaigned for a temporary cattle grid, installed at Castleton during the FMD outbreak, to be made permanent.

All villages complained of parking problems caused by the big influx of tourists in the summer season. Action is being taken to pin-point areas where cars can be parked away from the village centres.

Residents have also called for more facilities for young children in the community, said Mr Hugill, with the need for a nursery school and more registered child-minders being highlighted.

"Families may need two jobs to stay in the area and need childcare. Or the sheer isolation of where parents live may mean that provision of facilities would reduce loneliness for parents and children alike."

He said that links could be made between adult learning and retraining to create employment in the parish.

More than a quarter (26pc) of residents said they wanted to see adult learning activities in the village; 25pc asked for after-school clubs; 23pc wanted a holiday play scheme.

On housing, 23pc said there was a need for affordable housing, and 15pc said such accommodation should be restricted for sale to local people.

"Young local people are unable to buy property due to the high prices," says the report.

About 38pc of households said they support the building of accommodation which would stop the migration of young people from the moorland parish.

A massive 95pc backed calls for improvements to the cramped local doctors' surgery. Mobile telephone reception was labelled as poor or very poor by 67pc of households. There was also strong support for sheltered housing for the elderly.

Other issues raised were calls for shops selling local produce, small factory units and workshops, grants to help start-up businesses, a sports centre and a relaxation of business rates to help rural enterprises.

Support for the moorland sheep flocks was said to be important to maintain the landscape. The parish council is proposing a village flock to keep the grass on the picturesque common land trim, said Mr Hugill. An action plan has been drawn up, he added. "It will provide a focus for future action on activities which local people want to see happen."

Various organisations will be involved including the national park authority, National Farmers' Union, Countryside Agency, DEFRA, English Nature, Scarborough council, Yorkshire Forward and North Yorkshire County Council.

The vicar of the Danby parish, the Rev Clive Artley, said: "Many of us in the parish, both natives and 'incomers', see ourselves as self-reliant folk whose independence does not incline us to expect help or to readily ask for it. All the more reason that the social needs should be identified and, if possible, met.

"We are privileged to live in a beautiful place and much effort is properly focused on maintaining the landscape and environment. We are also privileged to be part of a lovely, caring and mutually-supportive community. Its vulnerable social fabric also needs to be preserved. I hope the parish plan might be an effective instrument to that end."

Updated: 10:57 Wednesday, January 07, 2004