Printed minutes
Argyll and Bute Council · 22 May 2026
Back to Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee (Short-term Let Hearings) — 22 May 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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MINUTES of MEETING of PLANNING, PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND LICENSING COMMITTEE (SHORT-TERM LET HEARINGS) held BY MICROSOFT TEAMS on FRIDAY, 22 MAY 2026 Present: Councillor Gordon Blair (Chair) Councillor Jan Brown Councillor Kieron Green Councillor Fiona Howard Councillor Dougie Philand Councillor Audrey Forrest Councillor Graham Hardie Councillor Reeni Kennedy-Boyle Councillor Peter Wallace Attending: Kathryn Lowe, Applicant Colin Matthews, Objector Roderick McLean, Licensing Standards Officer, Argyll and Bute Council David Walker, Solicitor Argyll and Bute Council Stuart McLean, Committee Manager, Argyll and Bute Council 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies for absence were received from Councillors John Armour, Amanda Hampsey, Daniel Hampsey and Paul Kennedy 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest. 3. CIVIC GOVERNMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT 1982, THE CIVIC GOVERNMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT 1982 (LICENSING OF SHORT-TERM LETS) ORDER 2022: APPLICATION FOR GRANT OF A SHORT TERM LET LICENCE TO K LOWE, FLAT 2/32, 28 WEST CLYDE STREET, HELENSBURGH The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. In line with recent legislation for Civic Government Hearings, the parties (and any representatives) were given the options for participating in the meeting today. The options available were by video call, by audio call or by written submission. For this hearing the Applicant opted to proceed by way of video call and Kathryn Lowe joined the meeting by MS Teams. Colin Matthews, Objector opted to proceed by way of audio call and joined the meeting by telephone. The Chair invited the Licensing Standards Officer to speak to the terms of the report. Thereafter the procedure set out in Appendix 8 of the report was followed and the Chair invited the Applicant to speak in support for their application. APPLICANT Ms Lowe advised that she had owned and invested in the property for the last 13 years and that if the licence was granted she intended to run it as a short term let in a responsible and respectful manner. It was not anticipated that there would be a high
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turnover of visitors and she would be using the property for herself and young son on occasions. Ms Lowe confirmed that the property would not be a party flat and that one of the bedrooms was furnished with children in mind. Ms Lowe added that she would monitor and vet who would be using the property. QUESTIONS FROM OBJECTORS Mr Matthews stated he has owned two flats within the building for the past 12 years and that Ms Lowe had suggested that she cares for the building but he had seen no evidence of that and that there was only one other resident, besides him, that has taken care of the building. Ms Lowe advised that she had previously let her property out on a long term basis and had experienced problems with her tenant, which made it difficult to gain access to the property or building. Ms Lowe reported that it had taken 3 different court cases to have the tenant removed and to secure access to the property. Ms Lowe stated that on regaining access to her flat she has repaired much of the damage internally and was willing to be involved in looking after the shared areas, such as the front door lock and waste collection points. OBJECTORS Mr Matthews noted that within the application it stated that the property would be used on a minimal basis, however, if the licence is granted existing residents would have no control over how many times a year the property is let. He also stated that he had owned two flats within the building, currently one, and has never applied for a short term let as he believes that it does not suit the building. QUESTIONS FROM APPLICANT There were no questions from the Applicant. MEMBERS’ QUESTIONS Councillor Philand asked Ms Lowe how she would be able to vet visitors to her property? Ms Lowe advised that all bookings would be placed via Airbnb, as it shows the profile and ratings of people and that she would only confirm bookings with couples or families that have strong reviews. Ms Lowe added that this booking platform also allows owners to leave a review of visitors who have visited and have been respectful and left it in a clean state. Councillor Hardie asked the Objector, Mr Matthews, if he stayed in either of his properties within the building? Mr Matthews responded that he lives in one of the flats and had recently sold the other. Councillor Hardie then asked Mr Matthews if he thought there would be a privacy issue should the licence be granted? Mr Matthew responded yes and that would be due to the volume of people if the property was let on a regular basis, if only occasionally let then possibly not.
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Councillor Brown asked the Applicant if she would have a property manager in the vicinity. Ms Lowe responded that she had a manager who lived minutes away from the property and would meet and greet the visitors and that she herself would also be contactable. Ms Lowe confirmed that she was also willing to let the neighbours have the contact details for the manager and herself. Councillor Kennedy-Boyle asked, having lived in a tenement in the past, how would the Applicant manage the communal areas? Ms Lowe advised that she pays factor fees at the moment for the building upkeep and communal areas, however, she is willing to be actively involved in securing a lock for the front door and looking after the other communal areas. Councillor Kennedy-Boyle asked the Objector, what he felt was missing from the additional conditions? Mr Matthews stated that on the application it was emphasised that there would be minimal number of uses throughout the year, there are no reassurances that this will be the case. Councillor Blair asked if the fees that are collected by the Factor would cover the replacing of the lock on the front main entrance? Both Applicant and Objector agreed that it probably would be covered by the Factor. Councillor Kennedy-Boyle asked the Applicant what the minimum stay would be? The Applicant advised that one night stays would not be sustainable and it would be an absolute 3 night minimum, if the licence was granted. SUMMING UP Objectors Mr Matthews stated that his opinion was that the building was more suitable for long term lets of full occupancy. There was no assurance of how many times the flat would be let out and was concerned with the lack of security on the main door. However, that is something that the factors could investigate. Applicant Ms Lowe advised that her previous experience with a longterm tenant had proved problematic and that she would have more control and oversight of short term lets and that she was willing to be involved with the Factor and work with the full time residents. Ms Lowe stated that the property is a seafront property flat which is above a hospitality area with people coming and going, so there is potential for noise outside. When asked, both parties confirmed that they had received a fair hearing. DEBATE
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Councillor Brown thought the Applicant put forward a good case on how she plans to run the property with a manager nearby, work with the people who live there and has given reassurance that she would be a responsible Airbnb host. Councillor Kennedy-Boyle advised that she was happy with the conditions recommended and was content that the Applicant is willing to work constructively with her neighbours Councillor Green stated that the conditions were within the scope of the Short Term Let Policy, and with no control zones in place he could see no reason to refuse the application. Councillor Hardie stated that the Applicant seemed responsible and conscientious in looking after the communal close and had no problem with agreeing the licence. Councillor Howard advised that Helensburgh is a tourist destination and it is difficult to get properties serving a purpose for short term lets, especially with limited hotels in the area and that there is not an oversupply of letting properties. Councillor Philand stated that the Applicant had already had her fingers burnt with previous tenants and had spent a lot of money bringing the property back up to standard and was happy to support the application. Councillor Blair advised buildings should be utilised and welcomed the Applicants and Objectors commitment to remain in dialogue and was happy to support the application. DECISION The Committee agreed to grant a short-term let licence to Kathryn Lowe subject to the inclusion of additional conditions set out in the report in respect of anti-social behaviour, privacy and security, damage to property, littering and waste disposal, and noise control in flatted premises. The Applicant would be notified in writing of the above decision within 7 days. (Reference: Report by Regulatory Services and Building Standards Manager, submitted)