It may soon be harder to holiday in parts of the Scottish Highlands as councils consider tighter controls for short-term rentals.
According to the Highland Council, six per cent of potential homes across the Highlands are currently licensed as short-term lets (STLs), including Airbnbs.
On 3 November, Highland Council’s Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area committee agreed to move forward with the potential introduction of a “Short Term Let Control”.
The control zones would limit the number of licensed short-lets to improve the availability of affordable homes in the area.
An assessment of property sales in the area found “high proportions of external sales” across Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh.
A report presented to the committee found that: “On balance, the evidence at this time indicates that the establishment of a Short Term Let Control Area may be justified in Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh.”
Specifically in Skye and Lochalsh, 17 per cent of “potential dwellings” are STLs, said the council.
Of the 220 new houses built in the area since 2020, 25 (11.4 per cent) are also now licensed STLs.
According to the committee, local communities will be able to participate in the consultation at the “appropriate stage”.
Councillor Biz Campbell, co-chair of the committee, said: “We feel that this is worth taking a closer look now, because the overall indicators suggest that in general, both the Ross and Cromarty West and Skye and Lochalsh Housing Market Areas are less affordable and have higher rates of STLs and second homes than Highland as a whole.”
Planning permission will only apply to new STLs established after the proposed control area comes into force.
It’s not the first measure suggested to control overtourism in the Scottish Highlands.
In May, Scottish Labour candidate for Inverness and Nairn, Shaun Fraser, floated the idea of a tourist tax that specifically targets campervans being driven in the area.
He said that roads can no longer handle the surge of traffic in the Highlands, much of which is on the popular driving route, the North Coast 500 (NC500).
Read more: Calls for campervan tax in the Scottish Highlands
What does controversial ‘driver-only operation’ mean for UK railways?
The ad trying to change the smell of this New York subway station for Christmas
Train union row delays opening of landmark new rail line until 2026
Buckingham Palace’s ‘Christmas market’ has drawn crowds – but something isn’t right
Looking for a travel present? Give money instead of a gift card
The UK cities with the best and worst Uber passengers revealed
