Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 24 February 2021
The regulations provide planning authorities with powers to designate short-term let control areas in which changes of use of residential property to short-term lets will require planning consent without any test as to the materiality of the change of use.
The regulations are one of two sets of regulations, the other being on licensing, that were laid in draft in Parliament and considered by the Local Government and Communities Committee on 3 February. In that meeting, I urged the minister to withdraw both instruments in order to address concerns that had been expressed. I am glad that, after many delays in bringing the two instruments to Parliament, the licensing one was indeed withdrawn, but the planning one remains before us this evening.
I have been campaigning for tighter planning controls and effective licensing powers over short-term lets for over three years. It gives me no satisfaction to stand here tonight speaking against the regulations, but I do so because, despite indications from the minister during the passage of the bill that became the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 that they would empower local government, the regulations as laid require the approval of ministers before short-term let zones can be designated.
I fundamentally disagree with that. It is wrong that Mr Stewart or any Scottish minister should have the power to veto a planning designation such as a short-term let control area. I will therefore not be able to support the regulations at decision time.