Short Term Let Control Areas

Proposed Control Area - Badenoch and Strathspey (Ward 20)

June 2023 update

The Highland Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee on 04 May agreed the steps to be taken to finalise the establishment of the Short-term Let Control Area for Ward 20 (Badenoch & Strathspey).

However, shortly after the Committee decision, the Scottish Government issued Circular 1/2023: Short-term Lets & Planning. The Council is seeking legal advice on the implications this new Circular may have on the proposed Short-term Let Control Area and the related planning policy agreed by the Committee. Until this is concluded the Council will not complete the statutory process to establish the Short-term Let Control Area for Ward 20 (Badenoch & Strathspey) nor utilise the related non-statutory planning policy.

The Council is acutely aware this is adding uncertainty to the Short-term let sector. It is the Council’s intention to hold information sessions once the legal advice requested has been received and considered. These will be widely advertised and interested parties are encouraged to follow the Council’s short-term let webpages for further updates.

At the Highland Council meeting on 9 September 2021 at the specific request of all Ward 20 Members, it was agreed that we would pursue the consideration of establishing a Short-term Let Control Area across Badenoch and Strathspey. This detailed consideration was undertaken at the Economy and Infrastructure Committee (ECI) meeting on 2 December 2021, where a detailed report outlining the issues secondary letting is having across Badenoch and Strathspey was presented. Members thereby agreed to pursue the establishment of the Short-term Let Control Area for Ward 20: Badenoch and Strathspey.

During the 6 weeks public consultation period, 332 representations were received. These have now been considered and analysed, with a summary prepared of the key themes. Based on this feedback, a report was presented to Council on 30 June 2022. Elected Members agreed the Council would progress with the establishment of a Short-term Let Control Area covering Ward 20: Badenoch and Strathspey. As part of the Committee Report, an updated Statement of Reasons has been prepared.

We will now submit the request to establish Ward 20: Badenoch and Strathspey as a Short-term Let Control Area.

If a short-term let control area is approved for Ward 20: Badenoch and Strathspey following public consultation by the Council and by the Scottish Government, a dwellinghouse used for secondary letting on a short-term let basis will be deemed to be a "material change of use" which will require planning approval.

However, a Short-term Let Control Area is not a ban on short-term lets, instead it will allow planning policies to be used to assess applications which change the use of a dwellinghouse to this form of use and allow communities and individuals the right to make representations through the planning application process.

The project is supported by the following:

A copy of the Statement of Reasons including a map of the proposed area of designation area will be available at libraries within the proposed Short-term Let Control Area.

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