Sustaining North Berwick welcomed the opportunity to respond to East Lothian Council’s consultation on its short-term lets (STLs) licensing policy.
As a local group concerned with sustainability, we are conscious of the impact of STLs on community resilience and the local environment.
For communities to be resilient and sustainable, they need strong social networks and mutual support structures, together with high levels of trust and co-operation developed through friendliness, neighbourliness, caring and a shared sense of purpose.
There is evidence that some permanent residents in North Berwick feel they have been affected negatively by STLs, especially where they are the only long-term occupier in their group of flats. They can experience loneliness and a lack of community feeling.
They can end up having responsibility for a range of property-related matters that non-resident owners are in no position to deal with. They will bear the brunt of communal areas not being kept clean and of answering questions from visitors about waste management.
We feel that the licensing scheme should be strengthened to support permanent residents and our environment to ensure our community’s sustainability.
It should recognise the impacts of STLs on permanent residents and address these concerns by limiting the number of STLs in an area. The limit could be one STL in a building and less than five per cent of dwellings in a street or neighbourhood.
There is no mention of recycling in the current scheme – an important omission! The need to reduce waste must be emphasised. STL businesses should be required to provide recycling facilities and ensure they are managed effectively.
To ensure an improvement in waste management, the council should ensure that a contract is in place before granting a licence.
There are STLs in town where gardens have been covered in tarmac and all plants removed. This is both unsightly and damaging to biodiversity. The scheme could ensure that these areas are ‘re-greened’ when licences are up for renewal.
Whilst we recognise that we are a holiday destination, we feel that with more than 400 homes being advertised as STLs here now, it is time for the council to introduce a control area to better manage the impacts of STLs on our community.
Jeremy Gass
On behalf of Sustaining North Berwick
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