Councillors are being urged to approve another Airbnb in Perth city centre, despite fears it will “open the floodgates” for more.
The ground floor flat at Fiscal’s House, 3 South Street, has been used as a short-term let since last June.
The owner has now made a retrospective change of use application to Perth and Kinross Council.
It will be decided by the planning committee, due to the high number of objections.
Neighbours say they have already experienced “nuisance and security issues”.
Another said approving the application would “open the floodgates” for similar Airbnb bids and reduce the number of homes available for Perth residents.
However, planners are recommending councillors approve the bid when they meet on Wednesday.
They insist the city centre can accommodate more short-term lets.
And they say the busy nature of South Street means the premises is unlikely to cause too much of a disturbance.
Airbnb business ‘good for Perth economy’
In a supporting statement to planners, the applicant’s agent says she goes to great lengths to be a good neighbour. This includes meeting all guests personally and going over the house rules with them.
It says: “The applicant manages the property herself. She only takes bookings through Airbnb, allows no instant bookings, and vets all guests, looking at their previous reviews.
It goes on: “She has declined guests if she is not happy with their previous reviews… She also makes it clear that all guests should respect the amenity of the neighbours, as they would in their own homes.”
The statement says the intention is to accommodate tourists staying for up to a week, or professional people working in the area.
“Many of the guests are from overseas, and are visiting tourist attractions, and using
local restaurants and shops,” it adds.
“They bring valuable income to Scotland.”
A report to Wednesday’s planning committee meeting says: “The high turnover of guests both to date and in future is likely higher than typical private rented or owner-occupied accommodation, and this can have an impact on noise and disturbance to neighbours.
“However, in this instance, the application site’s city centre location with its mix of uses, the fact that South Street is one of the busier city centre streets in terms of vehicle movements and associated noise, and the close proximity of the flat entrance to the main building entrance door is such that the levels of activity associated with short term let accommodation do not adversely impact the amenity or character of the area.”
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