Edinburgh Pentlands MSP, Gordon Macdonald, has given his backing to an announcement from the First Minister that councils will be handed powers to regulate and control short term holiday lets.
The move follows concerns that the number of short term accommodation lets in Edinburgh, offered by platforms such as Airbnb, is restricting the volume of available residential properties available in our capital.
Gordon Macdonald MSP is encouraging local residents to have their say on the Scottish Government’s plans as part of an online consultation that runs until 19 July 2019.
The proposal is part of a package of new housing initiatives announced at the SNP’s spring conference in Edinburgh last weekend – including a new £150 million scheme to help young people get on the property market with loans of up to £25,000 available to assist with a deposit for a new home.
The consultation can be found by searching ‘Scot Gov short term lets consultation’ online.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald said: “While short term letting sites, such as Airbnb, have helped contribute to Scotland’s booming tourism industry, they are making it harder for people in tourism hotspots like Edinburgh to find permanent homes to live in.
“The SNP Government is looking to proactively tackle this issue by handing councils the power to control the number of lets and ensure they make a contribution to the local services they use.
“I’ve heard from many constituents who are concerned about this issue, and would encourage everyone to ensure their views are heard before the consultation closes on 19th July 2019.”
Edinburgh has welcomed the announcement. Last year, the city council created a working group to look at the issues short term lets are creating in Edinburgh and the Council has been working with the Scottish Government to set out its preference for a licensing regime.
Housing and Economy Convener Cllr Kate Campbell said: “The First Minister’s announcement of a detailed consultation on short-term lets is incredibly welcome.
“We’ve been working on this for some time and since our report last August setting out the challenges for Edinburgh, we’ve been working to take forward the solutions that we think we need. We all recognise that we need additional tools to help us deal with this issue properly so we’ve engaged with the Scottish Government, particularly around the need for a licensing regime and I’m delighted this forms part of the Government’s proposals.
“One of the biggest concerns for us is the impact on housing supply and affordability and it’s good to see this explicitly referenced in the consultation as well. This shows that the work we’ve been doing with the Scottish Government has been the right approach to getting the outcomes that residents in the city need.
“We now need to make sure that lots of people in Edinburgh take part and help shape the policy and legislation that come out of the consultation, so that we get the right powers allowing us to properly control short-term lets in the city.”
Consultation: https://consult.gov.scot/housing-services-policy-unit/short-term-lets/consultation/subpage.2016-07-07.1474135251/)
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