I HAVE just received an invitation from Kate Forbes MSP inviting me to respond to a consultation on the subject of short-term lets. She says “I urge all Highlanders to respond to this consultation.”
As a lowlander but occasional visitor to the Highlands perhaps I should ignore the request, but the temptation to stick my nose in is too strong.
Ms Forbes states: “Whilst it is a complex and multi-faceted problem with no easy answers, I hope that the debate centres around facts rather than unfounded fears. I believe that this needs to be a much broader discussion than previously.”
I have to say this sounds a bit like “I’ve nae idea how to address, let alone solve, this problem but if you have something to say I will put it in a report to put on my shelf”.
READ MORE: Scottish Government launches consultation on licensing for short-term lets
The Scottish Parliament is now more than two decades old and has most recently been in the hands of the SNP. Surely the time for consultation is over and the time for some kind of radical action has arrived. As the years have gone by, the multi-billionaires have gobbled up more and more of the land. Airbnb and the like are spreading their tentacles. In some areas, second homes account for more than 50% of the housing stock.
Land and house prices are beyond the budget of most young Highlanders. A relatively small number of rich landowners own vast areas of land. Consulting the situation to death is not the answer. It is time for a radical change in the tax system which will encourage the owners of vast estates to reconsider their future use.
However I fear we are past the tipping point and the situation cannot be reversed or even improved. The last 20-odd years have been in effect wasted. The political will for change seems sadly lacking. Future generations of young Highlanders will look back and ask why we stood by as the Highlands were cleared for a second time.
John Baird
Largs
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