Short-term lets curb ‘risks shrinking Edinburgh Fringe by third’

Proposed new restrictions on the short-term letting of accommodation in Scotland could have a drastic impact on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, festival organisers have claimed.

In a submission to the Scottish Government’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee, Festivals Edinburgh – which represents 11 of the city’s annual festivals – said the restrictions would make Edinburgh “increasingly unaffordable and unfeasible” for both festival participants and visitors, shrinking the Fringe by as much as a third.

The new restrictions, which are now expected to be introduced in October having originally being scheduled for March, will require hosts of short-term lets to have a licence or risk being fined.

The restrictions follow City of Edinburgh Council’s own new rules, introduced in September, which require anyone renting out an entire dwelling that is not their principal home to apply for planning permission.

Festivals Edinburgh claim that the impact of the restrictions could result in the loss of 700 jobs and a £30m hit to Edinburgh’s economy.

The body has called for exemptions to be made in Edinburgh during August, to take into account the huge increase in demand for short-term accommodation during the busy festivals period.

In it own submission to Holyrood, the campaign group PLACE Edinburgh took a counter view.

It said that the proposed restrictions were already having a positive impact on the housing stock in Scotland’s capital, “increasing the availability, affordability and liveability of housing, as investors sold off their stock in advance of the impending implementation date”.