Our comment on the City of Edinburgh Council Planning Committee Report can be seen below.
Fiona Campbell, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said:
“Taking a responsible and proactive approach, we have been clear that industry wants to be regulated. Following the two recent Judicial Reviews, the ASSC shared policy recommendations with Edinburgh Council to provide a sustainable future for the capital’s remaining self-catering businesses.
The Council’s report highlights that there might be an imbalance in the supply and provision of short-term lets so further work is required to ensure Edinburgh has the right balance that a leading tourist destination needs. Furthermore, we also welcome the recognition that a number of short-term lets would be used in a similar manner to any other residential property and therefore planning permission would not be required for many existing operators.
Overall, we believe that our proposals are fair, balanced and legally sound. It would provide much needed clarity for operators, reduce the enforcement workload and administrative burden, and lower the risk of further costly legal challenges, as discussed in the Council’s report.
However, we will continue to refine our proposals to ensure the regulations work for all affected stakeholders, while protecting professional self-catering businesses which are so crucial to Edinburgh as a place to visit and do business. With jobs and livelihoods on the line, we want to get this right and we look forward to further discussions with Edinburgh Council on the regulatory framework.”