Dundee City Council has approved an application for a flat to be used as a short-term let at City Quay despite numerous concerns.
Objections were given by local residents and a property management company owner who warned against a “precedent” being set for Airbnbs taking over the waterfront development.
The decision was reached after testimony was heard and a vote held at the local authority’s planning committee on Monday evening:15 in favour with 11 against.
Concerns over the flat becoming a source of disruption to the neighbourhood were voiced.
A total of nine letters of objection were previously submitted, including one from the City Centre and Harbour Community Council.
Noise, security worries and fears a decision in favour would lead to a wave of Airbnbs being set up were raised.
Offering an industry view, Ashley O’Brien, a founder and director of Estates Property Management, said: “It doesn’t take much for the City Quay to become swamped or engulfed by potential short lets.
“My question to you all this evening is: At what point would you say no on these buildings? What’s the number? 40? 50? 100 Airbnbs?”
The property in question has south facing views over the River Tay and access to a communal garden.
‘Doesn’t benefit the people’
Local resident, Adrian Stewart said: “I ask the council to consider this, and the consequences of any decision you make, very carefully.
“Consider that a great number of council tax payers are down here. They’re not business tax payers, they’re council tax payers.
“I would suggest they require a great deal of consideration compared to having a holiday let, for whatever benefit it might be, it certainly doesn’t benefit the people in City Quay. And I would ask that you reject the proposed application.”
‘Taking housing away’
Sheena Wellington, secretary of the City Centre & Harbour Community Council said: “It takes housing out of the general stock.
“Dundee needs residential housing and people buying up houses down here to rent out as Airbnb, is actually taking housing away from the general population.”
She added: “There’s also the fact that it’s against the deeds of these properties.
“And the minute you start saying ‘oh well, we can vary the deeds for this reason or that reason’, you run the risk of there actually being blocks of flats which are entirely Airbnb.”
This means large areas of the block would not be heated or looked after and would become “a darkness”, she said.
‘What about title deeds?’
East End Labour councillor, Dorothy McHugh asked: “I wonder how an application gets to planning stage when it’s contrary to what’s in the title deeds?”
Gregor Hamilton, the council’s head of planning & economic development said the planning question about the short term let was “separate” to the “title deeds question”.
If permission for the application was granted, he said, the question on title deed restrictions would then have to be “overcome” – along with other legal requirements – before the short-term let could become active.
‘Impact on neighbourhood’
SNP councillor for Coldside, Mark Flynn asked Ms Wellington: “What impact do you feel the Airbnb (will) have on the local amenity or the character of the neighbourhood itself?”
Ms Wellington answered that there would be a “quite a serious impact” because the temporary, short term visits would take away from the “communal feel” of the area.
She added that although there was no “city centre” at the quay, the individual blocks have a communal spirit with neighbours “getting messages” for one another.
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