Our VMI Member, Becky Carter, Isle of Mull Cottages, has been in touch with VMI to highlight the issue of the proposed Short Term Let Control Area. VMI is very grateful to Becky for raising awareness of this proposal and providing the guidance from ASSC. Read Becky’s letter.

“You may be aware by now that the council has started a six week consultation on a Short Term Let Control Area (due to finish on 1st November 2026) covering Mull and Iona; Coll and Tiree; Islay, Jura and Colonsay; and Lorn and the Inner Isles.

You can respond to the proposal here: https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/form/stl-control-areas

Essentially, if a Short Term Let Control Area is introduced, anyone wanting to use a property as a short-term holiday let would have to apply through the planning team for a change of use, incurring costs and with no guarantee of being granted permission. Of particular concern to us is the potential impact on existing, licensed and lawfully operating self-catering businesses.  Under the council’s proposal, existing short-term lets will still have to apply for planning retrospectively and so could be forced to cease operating.

Fiona Campbell, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, wrote and spoke to MSPs and councillors last week about the negative impact that could have in our area and has said that the ASSC will start legal action in the coming weeks if a commitment isn’t received from the council that this position is changed.  They believe that closing existing businesses in unlawful and they have the funds in place to start that action.

We are therefore urging those who could be affected by the change write to councillors individually to raise their concerns as that type of action often has the greatest impact.  I have attached a document provided by the ASSC which outlines the best course of action and who you can write to in protest. I’m reaching out to yourselves, given that you may have members who are likely to be affected by the proposal, in order to spread the word and try and get as many people responding to the consultation as possible.

We agree with the ASSC’s position ”While we understand the need for affordable housing in our area, the Council’s Statement of Reasons argues that concentrations of secondary-let short-term lets are contributing to housing pressures in the areas covered by the proposal. We have not seen demonstrated evidence from existing Control Areas in Edinburgh or Badenoch and Strathspey that they have increased the supply of affordable housing. Nor does the closure of a self-catering business automatically return a property to permanent residential use. A property could be sold or retained as a second home, used privately or remain vacant, while some properties may not be suitable for permanent residential occupation.  Self-catering is an important part of Argyll and Bute’s visitor economy. These businesses support employment, local suppliers, shops, attractions, hospitality businesses and communities across some of Scotland’s most rural and island locations. Housing and tourism cannot therefore be considered in isolation. Policy must recognise the need for homes alongside the importance of sustaining the local businesses, employment and visitor economy on which these communities also depend.”

If you can pass this information onto your members with a link to the consultation, that would be great, as we need large numbers of replies to try and influence the outcome of the consultation.

Kindest Regards
Becky Carter

Read the attached guidance from ASSC on writing to Councillors and MSP’s

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Dk5PIDobtrcgGk4tJnvqntzU5wcks6A8/view?usp=sharing