A new Highland Council report has confirmed that Dingwall and Seaforth does not currently face the kind of housing pressure from short term lets that would justify creating a Short Term Let Control Area.
The findings were presented to Members at the Dingwall and Seaforth Area Committee where councillors endorsed the conclusion that a control area is not needed at this time.
The report examined the number of short term lets across the ward alongside their potential impact on housing availability, affordability and the stability of local communities.
The analysis shows that only 2% of potential dwellings in Dingwall and Seaforth are used as short term lets, a figure significantly lower than the Highland wide average of 5%.
It also found that the proportion of new homes becoming short term lets is exceptionally small at just 0.4% compared with 5% across the wider region.
The report notes that most recent house sales in the area were to buyers already living within the Highland Council boundary, indicating that there is no significant external market pressure driving up demand.
While a small number of local data zones have seen some recent growth in short term lets, the increase remains very small in real terms and does not represent a meaningful pressure on the local housing market.
The local Area Place Plan includes no specific concerns from the community about short term lets and no evidence linking STLs to reduced affordability or availability of homes.
On this basis the report concluded that the threshold for designating a Short Term Let Control Area has not been met and that further regulatory intervention is not justified.
Councillors agreed with the recommendation but requested that the evidence be reviewed again in 12 months to ensure any future changes are identified quickly.
Councillor Graham McKenzie, Chair of the Dingwall and Seaforth Area Committee, said:
“This evidence gives us a clear picture of the current situation, and it shows that short term lets are not having a significant impact on housing availability in Dingwall and Seaforth.
“While some areas of Highland face pressures, that is not the case here at present.
“We will however, continue to keep this under close review and base any future decisions on any emerging evidence.”
The committee agreed that no further action is required at this stage and that officers should bring an updated report back in a year’s time to track any changes in trends or pressures.
Highland Council has been carrying out area by area assessments as part of its wider approach to managing housing pressures and ensuring that any intervention in the short term let sector is supported by clear evidence.
Short Term Let Control Areas, which require planning permission for existing properties used as STLs, can only be established where data shows significant pressure on the supply of homes and a measurable impact on local communities.
Dingwall and Seaforth is the latest area to have been assessed and found not to meet that threshold.
