Urgent call for Badenoch and Strathspey lets control area

Changes to rules on short-term lets are needed immediately to address a housing emergency in a part of the Highlands, a senior councillor has said.

Bill Lobban said there was a shortage of housing for people who want to live and work in Badenoch and Strathspey.

Under plans he has put forward, planning approval would be needed before a property could be offered as a short-term let.

The lets usually involve self-catering holiday accommodation.

A consultation on the proposal to create a short-term let control area in Badenoch and Strathspey ends on Monday.

The scheme, if approved, would be in addition to a wider Scottish government licensing system where short-term let providers will need to be registered.

Last month, Scotland's first short-term let control zone was approved in Edinburgh.

It means any property being wholly-run for this purpose will need to apply for change of use.

The move followed concern that such lettings had exacerbated housing shortages and fuelled antisocial behaviour.

Mr Lobban said a control zone was needed urgently in his local area to address a shortage of affordable housing.

He said: "I think it is an emergency now and needs to be controlled now.

"My post bag is full and I get emails and phone calls from local people who cannot afford afford to live here."

Chris Lewis, who runs the Kilted Fudge Company in Aviemore, said recruitment was a challenge for his business and others because workers struggled to find somewhere affordable to live.

He said: "It can be frustrating but at the same time I appreciate we are a tourist destination.

"We won't survive if we don't have the tourists, but does mean there is a shortage of houses for those who live in the village and people who want to come and work in the village."

Andy Luke, who with his wife runs three short-term let properties, said a control area would see them having to pay £2,000 per property to get them through the planning system.

He said: "For my wife, it is her income. She was made redundant a couple of years so this what we top up our income with."

Mr Luke said short-term let providers played their part in the local tourism industry, as well as helping to support trades such as electricians and joiners.

Mark Tate, chief executive of the Cairngorms Business Partnership, said there was no one "silver bullet" to solve the housing problem.

He said people had invested considerable sums into providing good quality self-catering accommodation.