Regulatory Committee to discuss Short Term Lets
On Monday the council’s Regulatory Committee meets and will discuss the way that the Short Term Lets legislation will be implemented. The Convener is Cllr Neil Ross a member of the Liberal Democrat group.
On Sunday it became a requirement that anyone running a short term let had to have applied for planning permission and a licence. Despite requests for a further delay to the implementation of the new rules the government has stood firm.
Four parties brought a judicial review to the Court of Session questioning whether the new licensing scheme as implemented by The City of Edinburgh Council was lawful. Lord Braid decided in June that parts of the new policy were unlawful and the council issued new advice on its website. The court ruled that a “rebuttable presumption” against granting licenses for secondary lets – a property that is not an operator’s principal home – within tenement blocks was unlawful. The council amended its policy in August
As at 18 September 703 applications had been made to Edinburgh Council.
The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) said on Saturday that many small businesses are poised to leave the tourism accommodation market due to the “onerous” rules.
The government said that the rules were needed to deal with the adverse aspects of holiday lets and to balance the “needs and concerns of their communities with wider economic and tourism interests”.
In their recent snap poll they found that a third of operators had still not applied for a licence claiming that the process was “complex and time-consuming”.
As the whole of Edinburgh became a short term let control zone in September 2022, it is also a requirement here to have planning permission to operate a short term let in an entire property which is not the short term let operator’s main home.
The council will today set out the way it will enforce the new regulations with warning letters and fines. While the council has no powers to require unlicensed premises to cease trading, they can report any landlords involved to the police and Procurator Fiscal.
Bus protest
Residents in Bingham gathered at their nearest bus stop to protest against cuts to the number 4 service which the locals say now misses the most important stops at ASDA and the Bingham terminus.
Rail fares cheaper from today
A six-month trial to introduce cheaper and simpler fares on Scotrail trains begins on Monday.
The Scottish Government-funded project, encouraging people to travel by rail instead of car, will allow customers to travel all day on off-peak fares until the end of March 2024.
The trial will see massive savings across the country. Examples on routes in and out of the main cities include:
- Edinburgh – Glasgow via Falkirk High (£28.90 to £14.90)
- Inverkeithing – Edinburgh (£11.10 to £6.50)
- Perth – Dundee (£14.40 to £9.90)
- Glasgow – Stirling (£16.10 to £9.60)
- Inverurie – Aberdeen (£11.10 to £8.90)
- Inverness – Elgin (£22.00 to £14.40)
There are some routes where no off-peak fare exists because the same price is available at any time of the day, and as such, customers will not see any change in those areas.
Customers can check the ScotRail website, or the app, to see off-peak fares for their route during the six-month period and the website has some helpful frequently asked questions – Off-Peak fares all day long | ScotRail.
Monarchs of the Glen at Dovecot
Now that Edwin Landseer’s Monarch of the Glen is back in place in the Scottish galleries at the National, Doveoct is running an event talking about all the Monarchs of the Glen. There is a talk with Christopher Baker former Director at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery now an author and curator, and Celia Joicey, Dovecot Director.
The talk will commemorate Landseer’s death 150 years ago and Mr Baker’s new book which can be purchased at Dovecot.
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