ALL short-term let properties in Edinburgh not being used as a home are set to be required to obtain planning permission after city officials recommended “to designate the entire council area as a short-term let control area.”.
Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said:
“Including the whole of Edinburgh in this restrictive and anti-business scheme will have a hugely detrimental impact on the many small businesses who work tirelessly to ensure that the capital has one of the world’s best tourism offerings.
“The real problem Edinburgh has is a lack of house building, but our local authority has chosen to pick on an easy scapegoat rather than address the real and difficult issue.
“Despite the misrepresentation that we have had to deal with, the ASSC will continue to promote self-catering in Edinburgh and across Scotland and remains committed to finding a policy solution that works for all.”
Read the ASSC response to the Planning Control Zone Consultation: ECC response to Planning Control Zone Legislation
According to the Planning Committee Report, alternatives to Short-Term Lets include:
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Multiple hotel developments in the city and hosts who let a room in their property add to [tourism accommodation] supply. Regulating the entire property lets should not prevent visitors from coming to the city.
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Tourist population should be naturally regulated by the number of available hotel and B&B spaces.
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Demand should be met via development of the dedicated aparthotel sector rather than the removal of residential properties from the long term rental / home ownership market.
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Better to promote the trend for affordable hotel accommodation to provide safe accommodation.
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Homeowners letting out rooms and entire properties if they reside in the property the majority of the time will allow for an increase in short term lets for the festival periods.
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STLs take business away from established guest houses and hotels with inferior facilities risking reputational damage.
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Places pressure and unfair competition on existing hotel accommodation and similar other businesses, particularly as there is no regulation of short term lets.
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Declining use of office accommodation means that there are other ways to think about catering for visitors’ accommodation needs.
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Hotel businesses employ large numbers of people within the city and the uncontrolled growth of the short term let accommodation has affected that employment rate, to the disbenefit of the local economy.
https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s42696/7.1%20-%20Short-term%20Let%20Area%20of%20Control%20Designation.pdf
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/19932235.edinburgh-council-set-approve-citywide-airbnb-short-term-let-control-area/