Despite voicing fears for the future of their community, residents living in a small group of seaside cottages have lost their fight to stop a third of them becoming short term lets.
People living in Rhodes Cottages, North Berwick, had urged East Lothian Council’s licensing chiefs to refuse an application to turn another of the homes in their ‘small enclave’ into a holiday cottage.
They objected saying it would mean a third of the eight linked homes would be taken over by visitors and if used to capacity they would outnumber the permanent residents.
However at a meeting of the council’s licensing sub committee last week the owner of the proposed new short term let Amanda McIntyre urged members to consider her application separately to the other holiday cottages.
She told them: “We recognise neighbours have objected and understand their wish to protect the quiet character of the area.
“This is also a family property which we use often and may ultimately become our retirement home.”
Objectors had submitted statements to the committee asking them to reject the application with one saying: “Rhodes Cottages is a small, quiet enclave of only eight homes. The addition of a third (STL) would create a tipping point that is frankly unsustainable.
“We have already dealt with the reality of frequent, unpredictable turnover. We have faced recurring issues with noise, late night disturbances and antisocial behaviour from guests who treat the area as a holiday destination rather than a residential neighbourhood.”
While another told the licensing board in their objection: “You have disabled and elderly residents in some of the cottages, the council has a duty of care towards them and their safety.”
One local resident told the meeting that concerns about parking, noise, waste disposal and impact on amenities all created a cumulative effect which should be considered.
However while councillors sympathised with residents they pointed out there was no legislation which decided how many short term lets were too many in a community.
Any restrictions would have to be introduced through short term let control zones which have not been established in East Lothian.
Councillor Lee-Anne Menzies, committee member, said: “We have to take this application on its own merits and because there is no legal threshold for us to say enough is enough we can’t consider that.
“I want to make clear it is a very strong and very valid point that has been made.”
The committee unanimously agreed to grant the short term licence.
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
