The Local Government Committee has published their report into their consideration of the STL six-month delay SSI. At the conclusion of the report, they note the following:
- “At the same time the Committee notes the concerns expressed to it by those representing short-term lets operators about the challenges they are facing in meeting the requirements being set by local authorities and the uncertainty of the meaning of some of these requirements.
- It is in the interests of both short-term lets owners and residents in short-term lets hotspot areas to have certainty about the application of the licensing scheme. It would be of considerable disappointment to the Committee to find itself in the position of considering a further extension in six months because of ongoing concerns about the operation of the scheme.
- The Committee welcomes the willingness expressed by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government to use this six month period to respond to the concerns being expressed about the operation of the licensing scheme. The Committee hopes that the adoption of such an approach will obviate the need for a further delay.
- The Committee would also encourage existing short-term lets hosts to continue to apply for licences during this time period to avoid a rush of applications ahead of the September deadline.
- Notwithstanding that, the Committee would intend to return to look at short-term lets again in the context of the review to understand how it is affecting the operation of short-term lets and the experience of those living in proximity to them.”
Similarly, they have also published their report into their consideration of NPF4:https://sp-bpr-en-prod-cdnep.azureedge.net/published/LGHP/2022/12/21/81003168-a5d4-4a8c-a00d-113e25eef365/LGHPS062022R12.pdf.
On this, they highlight the following: “The Committee also notes the concerns expressed by the Association of Scottish Self-Caterers about policy 30 and its potential impact on the self-catering sector. The Committee will be giving careful consideration to the impact of policy 30 and the regulation of short-term lets more generally in the coming year.” (p14).