Action over report on Airbnb-style lets in Edinburgh rejected

A GREEN bid to order Edinburgh council officials to investigate unlawful short-term lets identified in a survey has been thrown out.

Picture Ian Rutherford

The survey by Lothian Green MSP Andy Wightman found only one out of nearly 500 Airbnb-style properties had proper planning permission.

Details of 477 properties which Capital residents said were being operated on a commercial basis with no permanent resident were passed to the council.

Green councillors proposed an amendment to the council’s planning committee which would have compelled the council to investigate them. But SNP, Labour and Tory councillors combined to reject the move.

Officials estimated the cost of a full investigation into the cases could cost up to £220,000 and said many of the properties may have now ceased to operate as short-term lets due to Covid.

Legislation planned by the Scottish Government will give the council new powers to act over short-term lets.

Planning convener Neil Gardiner praised Mr Wightman’s work in highlighting the issue of short-term lets, but said officials had to use limited resources as effectively as possible to tackle the problem and felt following up the cases uncovered by the MSP would not be as productive as what they were currently doing.

He said: "The team is doing well, it’s winning a lot of cases, it’s meeting the needs of the worst-offending properties, building up evidence, taking them to court, taking them to appeal and winning them. That is very gratifying and a clear signal to anyone who is transgressing that we will be looking into you and an indication people should not indulge in this – there is no long-term future in this. Once we get the legislation in place these properties will be returned to homes and strong neighbourhoods restored across the city.”

Green planning spokesman Chas Booth said: “This is a deeply disappointing decision to effectively ignore Andy Wightman’s detailed report. Unregulated holiday flats can make life misery for neighbours and are a cause of sky-rocketing rents.”

Mr Wightman said: “The Scottish Government’s action on regulating short term lets is welcome and long overdue, but there is no reason for the city council to wait for this before enforcing existing rules when it comes to planning consent in response to my report.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription to support our journalism.

Subscribe to the Edinburgh Evening News online and enjoy unlimited access to trusted, fact-checked news and sport from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Visit https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director