Appendix 2 - Objection - Mr 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: Graham Forsyth Sent: 28 August 2023 16:14 To: CDS STL Subject: Objection to application for short-term let licence re Gushat Cottage ,Strathtay, PH9 0PG 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 licence application re Gushat Cottage , Strathtay, PH9 0PG As a permanent resident of Strathtay my grounds of objection to the above short-term let licence application are as follows: 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. I have recently conducted a survey of the village and of the 56 residential properties within the confines of the village, 31 are permanent residences (55%), 22 are second homes (39%) and 13 properties are currently rented either as short or long term let.(23%). It appears that there are already 7 short term lets operating in the village These are disturbing figures with approximately 35% of homes in the village no longer owned residences or long term lets. 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. 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 and would therefore accelerate the erosion of the local community further. The owners are already marketing the property though Cottages.com (property ref UK42752) and appear to have been doing so since late Spring. 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 application currently under consideration 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.
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2 There is a lack of affordable and appropriate housing for local residents and granting this short-term let licence would have a detrimental effect on local amenity with some businesses, schools or other services that serve, and are reliant on, permanent residents closing or relating. For all of the above reasons I would strongly encourage Perth and Kinross Council to refuse this short-term let licence application. Kind regards, Graham Forsyth Cluain Strathtay Pitlochry PH9 0PJ
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