The Highland Council’s area committees for Skye & Raasay and Sutherland have agreed to progress proposals to designate Short-Term Let Control Areas, which would require planning permission for new short-term lets established after any future designation.
Responding to the developments, Fiona Campbell MBE, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said:
Fiona Campbell MBE, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said:
“The ASSC cannot support progression towards a Short Term-Let Control Area for either Skye and Raasay or Sutherland. The proposals from the area committees are not justified by robust evidence and instead rely on flawed categorisation. Moreover, targeting small businesses as a means of addressing longstanding housing issues – especially when there are a larger number of empty homes across the Highlands – shows a muddled sense of priorities. The Highlands relies on tourism and self-catering is an integral component of the visitor accommodation mix. Rather than scapegoating small businesses, we need to shift the policy focus to meaningful solutions that won’t harm the local economy, such as the delivery of multi-tenure housing reflecting demographic need and tackling the Highlands’ unwanted record as a major empty homes hotspot.”
The proposals will now be considered by the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee before any consultation process is formally launched.