The public consultation on a potential Short-Term Let Control area in Fife is now open.
The outcome of this process could have serious implications for tourism, small businesses, and local economies across the region. We urge everyone in the sector to respond and encourage others to do the same.
In April 2021, new legislation was introduced allowing councils in Scotland to designate all or part of their area as a short-term let control area. Any areas proposed must receive approval from the Scottish Government.
Should a Short-term Let Control Area be approved, property owners who let out properties that are not their principal homes on a short-term basis would need to apply for ‘change of use’ approval through the planning application process. This requirement would apply only to new changes of use and would not be applied retrospectively.
Your feedback is crucial in shaping the decision on whether to designate any short-term let control areas in Fife. You can respond here.
Fiona Campbell MBE, Chief Executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said:
“There is no robust evidence to support a short-term let control area across Fife or within specific parts of the local authority. Once again, we need facts not finger pointing.
The self-catering sector plays a vital role in supporting local economies, providing an annual £80m boost to Fife while supporting over 2,700 jobs. Introducing unnecessary planning restrictions risks damaging these small businesses, reducing visitor accommodation, and weakening Fife’s tourism offer – all without delivering any meaningful improvements to housing availability.
Put simply, you can’t solve a housing crisis by producing a crisis in tourism by decimating local businesses. Rather than scapegoating, attention must shift to the real causes of the housing crisis, including the thousands of economically inactive empty homes across Fife.”