PROPOSALS to crack down on holiday-home ownership in Scotland’s tourist hotspots look set to be backed next week at the SNP conference.
Under the proposals, local buyers would be given priority in some rural areas while people trying to purchase second properties would face additional tax hikes.
A statutory registration scheme for holiday accommodation is among the planned measures.
The move comes amid longstanding concerns that people living in Highland and Island communities are being priced out of the market following a boom in demand for holiday homes among wealthier and often city-dwelling Scots.
Property prices in coastal parts of the country have also surged as a result of the coronavirus crisis with more people taking staycations because of restrictions on travelling overseas during the pandemic.
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A motion is to be debated at the SNP’s online conference which takes place from next Friday to Monday, September 13.
The plans, which have been lodged by the party’s Strathtay and Dunkeld branch, are included in a wider resolution entitled “Affordable, good quality and sustainable housing for all”.
It says: “Conference notes that a dysfunctional land market and huge imbalance in land ownership lie at the root of the housing issue, adversely affecting the cost and availability of land to develop for affordable housing.”
It adds: “Conference reiterates the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on reducing access to affordable housing by driving up demand for housing in rural areas including second and holiday homes.
“Conference recognises the importance of intergenerational communities where people of all age groups feel supported, respected and valued in encouraging young people to remain in rural areas to work and raise their family.”
The resolution welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase by 20% its funding to local authorities to enable them to deliver more affordable homes, to a total of £3.2 billion over five years. It also backs the Scottish Government’s community right-to-buy legislation which came into force in 2020, including the right to buy land to further sustainable development, and proposed legislation to license short- term lets to curb the growing numbers of such properties, particularly in tourist areas.
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The motion goes on to state that all SNP election manifestos for the May 2022 council elections should include commitments to:
- Enhance affordability within the private rented and housing market for local people, young families and first-time buyers including social rented, affordable rent and shared ownership accommodation as well as guaranteed low-cost home ownership;
- Initiate or increase the purchase or buy-back of properties by councils, for affordable rental;
- Use local and national taxation systems to ensure affordable housing is available in our rural communities, in particular to discourage second-home and holiday-home ownership;
- Use planning law to give people who are locally resident priority in the housing market, to minimise the possibilities for houses to be sold or built as second/holiday homes and to introduce a statutory registration scheme for holiday accommodation;
- Explore and support community land and asset transfer and community-led homes;
- Work if elected or re-elected, to deliver on these commitments including where relevant with the council umbrella group Cosla and the Scottish Government.
Research published in July this year revealed fewer than a fifth of islanders in Scotland think there is enough housing to meet local demand.
The Scottish Government’s National Islands Plan Survey laid bare “strong evidence of dissatisfaction with housing among respondents”.
It found dissatisfaction was even lower in some areas, with just 8% of residents in the Argyll islands and 7% in Skye and the Small Isles agreeing there is enough housing. Islanders also felt there was a lack of support for young people to remain, move or return to the islands.
Published in 2019, The National Islands Plan aims to improve the lives of those living in Scotland’s islands, with the survey used to gather data to measure the plan’s effectiveness.
In October last year, 20,000 surveys were posted to the residents of 76 permanently inhabited islands. A total of 4347 people responded from 59 islands.
The survey found that just 19% of islanders agreed there is enough housing available to meet local demand.
Meanwhile, 71% of islanders agreed there is a high proportion of local holiday lets and second homes.
Most islanders (86%) said they plan to stay on the island for the next five years but reported it is not easy for under-40s to live and work in the local area.
Perceptions were more positive in the Orkney and Shetland mainlands and substantially more negative in Skye, Arran and Bute.
People buying additional residential properties in Scotland and Wales, such as second homes, have to pay an extra 4% on the purchase price of properties costing more than £40,000 under the “additional dwelling supplement”. In England and Northern Ireland the surcharge is 3%.
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