Filey Council to Respond To Government Holiday Let Change Proposals

Councillors in Filey are preparing a response to a government proposal to change planning rules, to enable local councils to have more control over the amount of holiday let accommodation.

The plans would give greater control to local councils when property owners seek to get planning permission to change a house into a holiday let.

Filey Town Councillor Marilyn Anthony says the proposal is very relevant for the town.

The government are consulting on planning measures that could help local people have greater ability to take control of the amount of holiday lets and ensure that the number of existing properties are retained. 

Councillor Marilyn Anthony also adds that that the increase in holiday lets has had a huge impact on the amount of available housing in the Town. 

The government proposal is to use the planning system to help manage short-term let availability. The consultation document says:

"To allow for greater local control where in future additional dwellinghouses seek to become used as a short term let, we propose to introduce a new use class for short term lets. This would also allow local planning authorities to consider planning applications for new build short term lets and grant permission conditioned to the new class where appropriate."

The proposals aim to provide local flexibility when managing the number of holiday let properties and highlights that some areas would benefit from having more short term let's available at certain times saying:

"Short term lets can play an important part in supporting the visitor economy, for example where there is less hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation available or in the period around certain major tourist events."

"The sharing economy can bring benefits both to individuals and to the tourism sector. It can bring benefits for homeowners to have some flexibility to let out their home or part of their home, for short periods. Such lettings help to support the visitor economy, such as around major sporting or musical events, such as Eurovision."

The consultation document also highlights how some local communities have seen adverse impacts from the growth of holiday let property.

"The rise in the number of short term lets in certain areas has however prompted concerns. High concentrations of short term lets in areas such as coastal towns, national parks and some cities is reported as impacting adversely on the availability and affordability of homes to buy or to rent for local people and on the sustainability of communities more broadly."

" In recent parliamentary debates, several MPs have warned of the ‘hollowing out’ of communities, with the viability of local shops, schools and other local services impacted by the lack of a permanent population and properties being left vacant over winter. The analysis of responses to the DCMS call for evidence noted that ‘many respondents felt that short-term lets had negatively impacted the social dynamics and economic trajectory of local communities, in part by limiting the available housing stock and pricing residents out of the communities.’ Some councils have reported that local employers are facing difficulties filling vacancies owing to a lack of housing for local people, including in the health and education sectors. Other concerns have been raised about the increase in temporary overnight accommodation, such as on home sharing digital platforms, putting pressure on the housing rental market and, in some cases, impacts on neighbours from noise and traffic etc. The government response noted that 39% of members of the public and 50% of other organisations that responded considered noise, anti-social or other nuisance behaviour from short term and holiday lets to be a major problem."

The government proposal suggests that different approaches to using the proposed rule changes could be used in different areas saying:

"There is a wider public interest in supporting sustainable communities and providing homes to rent or to buy. We consider therefore that there is a clear rationale for planning changes to give local communities greater ability to control the number of short term lets in their area and support the retention of existing dwellinghouses to buy or to rent, and to facilitate where possible short term lets returning to such use. Where particular areas want to use these planning tools to effect change, they will be able to do so, where it is justified locally. In those other areas where there is no local issue, the planning changes should not adversely impact on existing flexibilities for use of a dwellinghouse."

The full consultation is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introduction-of-a-use-class-for-short-term-lets-and-associated-permitted-development-rights/introduction-of-a-use-class-for-short-term-lets-and-associated-permitted-development-rights