Sweeping new controls on short-term lets across Inverness, Skye and large parts of the Highlands have moved a major step closer after councillors backed the plans.
Highland Council has agreed to ask the Scottish Government to designate two new Short Term Let Control Areas covering Inverness and a vast rural area stretching across some of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations.
If approved by Scottish ministers, planning permission would be required when a home is converted into a new secondary short-term let within the designated areas.
The move is intended to give planners greater control over the growth of holiday accommodation in communities where the council says the availability of permanent homes has become a significant concern.
Councillors backed the proposals at a special meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee today (Monday 28 September).
The proposed Inverness City Short Term Let Control Area covers Inverness West, Central, Ness-side and Millburn as well as parts of Inverness South.
A much larger Highland Rural Short Term Let Control Area would cover Skye and Raasay, Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh, Sutherland, Lochaber, Aird and Loch Ness and parts of Inverness South.
The council says evidence gathered during development of the proposals shows short-term lets account for more than 20% of homes in some Highland communities.
Council figures show 13.6% of homes sold in Skye and Lochalsh between 2019/20 and 2023/24 subsequently became short-term lets.
Across the proposed rural control area, 9.5% of homes built during the past five years are now being used as short-term lets.
More than 800 responses were received during consultation on the proposals.
The council said 84% of responding residents and businesses supported the proposed Inverness control area, while 72% backed the rural designation.
The new rules would mean using a home as a new secondary short-term let would constitute a material change of use and require planning permission.
Applications would then be considered individually against planning policies and local circumstances.
Highland Council has argued that additional planning controls are necessary because of the pressure holiday accommodation can place on housing supply in some communities.
The proposals have also faced opposition from the tourism and self-catering sector, which has warned that further regulation could affect legitimate businesses and the visitor economy.
The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers has previously criticised the council’s approach and argued that short-term lets are being blamed for wider failures in housing supply.
The two proposed control areas will now require approval from Scottish ministers before they can come into force.
If approved, the Highlands would join areas including Edinburgh where additional planning controls have been introduced over the conversion of homes into short-term visitor accommodation.