Appendix 2 - Objection (MacLeod)
Perth and Kinross Council · 11 August 2025
Back to Licensing Committee — 11 August 2025 and its agenda
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1 SPR STL From: Sent: 10 June 2025 19:00 To: SPR STL Subject: Objection to short term letting at Shehallion House - UPRN - 124112461 Attachments: A boat on the water at night Description automatically generated.jpeg Categories: OBJECTIONS/COMPLAINTS Licensing Legal and Governance Perth and Kinross Council Pullar House 35 Kinnoull Street Perth PH1 5GD 27/05/2025 PKC Short-Term Let Licence Application ID: 2271 UPRN: 124112461 To Whom It May Concern, I write to formally object to the above application for a Short-Term Let (STL) licence at: Schiehallion House, Aldcharmaig, PH16 5NT, located on the north shore of Loch Tummel. This objection is submitted on the basis of: • NPF4 Policy 30(e) of the National Planning Framework 4, • The relevant provisions of the Perth & Kinross Local Development Plan (2019) • The STL licensing criteria under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. 1. Planning History and Policy 30(e)(ii) – Loss of Residential Accommodation This property was granted consent in 2019 under planning reference 18/01875/FLL for the erection of a dwellinghouse, not for a commercial STL business. To immediately seek change of use upon completion to a commercial letting business is contrary to the letter and spirit of the original consent. As the property has never been occupied, it seems the initial application was submitted under a false premise, with intent to build commercial premises, disregarding the essential purpose of planning applications. The owner had assured local residents that he was building a personal home, but now has openly stated he always intended to use the property as a short-term let business. Under NPF4 Policy 30(e)(ii), short-term letting of existing buildings should not result in the loss of residential accommodation unless justified by demonstrable local economic benefit. In this case, the economic impact for the community is likely to be minimal and will not outweigh the permanent loss of a newly completed, family-size residential home. This proposal therefore fails to satisfy this limb of the policy.2. NPF4 Policy 30(e)(i) – Unacceptable Impact on Amenity and Character A 10-person short-term rental property introduces high occupancy turnover and anti-social ‘party’ activity that is intensive and unpredictable compared to a permanent home. The intended use of speedboats and outdoor party areas for large groups may attract stag- and hen-dos, and adult birthday parties with increased alcohol consumption, rather than family holiday rentals.
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2 The scale and commercial intent of the building is incompatible with the quiet, rural, residential character of the surrounding area. The major majority of the houses at this place on the loch are homes for families who live here full- time. 3. Waterfront Access, Lochside Use and Intensification The property has direct loch access via a private pier, creating scope for motorised leisure activity on a loch where such use is currently rare and low-impact. Loch Tummel is known for its peaceful environment, used primarily for passive recreation such as fishing. Short-term letting groups, with no long-term stake in the community, bring a high risk of anti-social behaviour, on land and water. Noise from jet skis, motor-boats, or shoreline activity would undermine the natural character of the loch and increase disruption to nearby residents and fishermen. We experienced the first example of this on Saturday 7th June. To loud music, and cheers, a large party of guests were given a display of the owner’s speedboat racing past the house several times with a huge Union Jack flag trailing behind. For many years there has been an understanding that motorized boats stick to a 5mph speed limit on the loch. This protects the sailing club’s small dinghies on which young children learn to sail. This agreement is being ignored by the owner. Loch Tummel’s surroundings already have significant problems from transient visitors 'wild camping', though typically this is 'car and campervan camping' with much noise, litter, fire-lighting and anti-social behaviour. Residents are frequently verbally abused by these visitors and you may be aware of a recent serious physical assault on a resident by a tourist. The ‘party’ premises Shehallion House will provide may encourage and exacerbate noisy behaviour by campers seeing this as acceptable noise and lighting levels. 4. Sound and Light Amplification Across Water Research confirms sound travels more efficiently over water than over land, especially in calm conditions. Local experience supports this. At Foss the loch just 0.58 miles (0.93 km) wide across open water. Everyday noise such as music, motors, and conversation is audible at Foss from the north shore. The building noise from Shehallion house proves how far sound from the property travels. Noise from parties at night will be horrendous. This is not a modest residence, but a multi-level, mansion-scale structure with an expansive loch frontage. Existing mature trees have been removed contrary to planning stipulations. The house is brightly illuminated at night. Its three- tiered elevation means artificial lighting is reflected on to the loch, creating the appearance of a six-tiered building. This is particularly harmful given the setting within a National Scenic Area, where natural darkness is part of the protected character. These effects are not hypothetical - they are already being experienced. On Saturday 7th June, the house remained fully illuminated until after 3 am. The party lit a huge bonfire, which they did not extinguish before retiring to bed. At 3 am it was still blazing without supervision. It is clear this is how the owner will allow guests to behave, ruining the life-quality, and fire safety, for local residents on potentially any and every day of the year. Photos below show the impact of lighting from the building, even at 3am. The linked image cannot be displayed. The file may have been moved, renamed, or deleted. Verify that the link points to the correct file and location. The house lit up all night and the size of the fire in the garden (taken from my house across the loch).
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3 Photograph proving the time (2.52am) that the unsupervised fire was still burning. 5. Licensing Grounds – Nuisance The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 allows licensing authorities to refuse an STL application where the use is likely to cause nuisance to neighbours or the public. The evidence of amplified sound across water, persistent light intrusion/reflection, social/holiday use, bonfires, and loch-side activity by transient visitors pose an unacceptable risk of nuisance. Conclusion This application: Fails NPF4 Policy 30(e)(ii): unjustified loss of a newly built residential home; and the PKC Short-Term Let Licensing Policy, particularly in relation to residential amenity, overdevelopment, and environmental impact. The property threatens nuisance under STL licensing legislation, introducing persistent risks including anti-social behaviour, alcohol fuelled parties, unsupervised fires, noise from party music and motorised speedboats, and light pollution. It will result in the loss of a family-sized, residential property to solely commercial use without financial benefit to the area other than to the owner. The potential to bring a family, living full-time to the area is so important. I hope the planners will see that such a prominent, disrespectful, loch-side holiday rental, offering speedboats with Union Jack flags, cannot be reconciled with either planning or licensing objectives for sustainable, respectful development in scenic, rural Scotland. I respectfully plead with the licensing authority to consider refusal of this application. Yours faithfully, Alison MacLeod The Granary Foss Home Farm Pitlochry Perth & Kinross PH16 5NQ
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