At the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC), we recognise the importance of supporting sustainable communities and responsible tourism. However, this must be achieved through collaboration, proportionate regulation, and evidence-based decision-making.
However, it is our view that a Short-Term Let Control Area risks significant and unnecessary harm to local livelihoods, visitor accommodation capacity and the tourism economy, while offering no demonstrable solutions to the area’s multifaceted housing challenges. The ASSC instead calls for an evidence-based, proportionate, and locally informed approach that balances community needs with the sustainable future of tourism and self-catering businesses in the area and across the Highlands.
Independent research from BiGGAR Economics shows that the self-catering sector contributes £200m GVA per annum and supports nearly 7,000 jobs in the Highlands.
This underlines the importance of ensuring there is a fair balance between communities and the tourist economy. Alongside this huge economic boost, the researchers also highlight that self-catering accommodation accounts for less than 1% of the country’s total housing stock, too low a proportion to have a meaningful impact on local housing markets. According to the report, in every local authority area, including Highland, economically inactive empty homes account for a larger proportion of total dwellings than those of secondary lets.
Scottish Government guidance requires clear, robust, and locally specific evidence to justify designating a Short-Term Let Control Area. We do not believe that this is the case for the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Area.
It is too early to determine whether the existing designation – Ward 20: Badenoch and Strathspey – has had any meaningful impact. Indeed, the Council have noted that other factors, such as STL licensing, may also impact any changes seen: “It is therefore difficult to determine the effect of the Control Area in its own right.”
Much of the housing challenges within the Highlands stem from wider structural issues rather than the presence of short-term lets.
The Highland Council area is a ‘hotspot’ for economically inactive empty homes. Figures published by National Records Scotland show that Highland had 3,900 long term empty homes in 2024.
The number of empty homes and second homes in the Highlands as a percentage of total dwellings is much higher than that associated with self-catering. A proper holistic examination is therefore vital.
What is clear is that the introduction of a Control Area would have significant resourcing implications for Highland Council, which would not be met through existing budgets, and where fee income from planning applications will not result in cost recovery. This has certainly been the case with Ward 20 where other workstreams have been negatively impacted.
The ASSC respectfully calls on the Area Committee not to agree to take forward plans for a Control Area. At the very least, we believe any decision should be deferred until robust, local evidence is gathered which would include full consideration of the impact of empty and second homes.
It is notable that Caithness has decided that a PCA would not be appropriate.