Appendix 1 - Objection - Mrs Forsyth
Perth and Kinross Council · 16 April 2024
Back to Licensing Committee — 16 April 2024 and its agenda
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1 CDS STL From: Alison Forsyth Sent: 16 August 2023 15:07 To: CDS STL Subject: Objection to application for short term let re Gushat Cottage , Strathtay, PH9 0PG Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged CAUTION: This email originated from an external organisation. Do not follow guidance, click links, or open attachments unless you have verified the sender and know the content is safe. Objection to short term let application re Gushat Cottage , Strathtay, PH9 0PG My grounds of objection are as set out below. There is a housing crisis within the village. People wishing to live and work in the village cannot find accommodation and have to move away from the area. This is due to the cost of housing having been pushed up by short term let investors and second homes. This has eroded the ability of local businesses to be able to properly recruit staff. As depopulation increases local essential services also suffer. The current application for a short term let licence relates to a modest size property which sits in the heart of the village. The demand for this type of property within the long term let market would be considerable. The owners are marketing the property though Cottages.com (property ref UK42752). Earnings in August 2024 ( if full booked) amount to £6,915. Without control of the short term let market the housing market will be unable to regulate itself and the cost of housing and long term rents will become even further out of the reach of ordinary residents who wish to live and work in the local community. This will have a significant adverse impact on the local community as fewer people use and contribute to local services and amenities. The village of strathtay has a very real and growing problem of second homes and short terms lets which are eroding the community and impacting on the viability of local services and amenities. There are existing short term lets within the village which are appended to main residences. This allows people to live permanently in the area and use the let as form of income. I would like to make it clear that I have no objection to that type of short term let. The application currently under consideration is not in that category. It is a medium sized property which sits in the heart of the village within walking distance of local amenities such as the village shop. It is a type of property which could be rented 100 times over in the long term let market. However, the lucrative nature of the short term let market means that, if left unregulated, the market will continue to exacerbate the acute housing crisis in the area. Kind regards Alison Forsyth Cluain Strathtay Perthshire PH9 0PJ
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