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Control zone has 'slowed' growth of Airbnb-style lets, report says

News imageGetty Images An aerial view across part of Aviemore on a sunny day. There are rows of houses and large areas of trees. There are hills and mountains on the horizon.Getty Images
Aviemore is among the villages inside the control area

Highland Council says a short-term lets control zone has slowed the growth of housing being used as holiday homes in Badenoch and Strathspey.

Three years ago, the local authority claimed the housing market in the area was in "meltdown" due to a shortage of affordable homes for residents.

It introduced the control area in 2024, meaning that planning permission is needed to change the use of a house to Airbnb-style accommodation.

In a report, Highland Council said early indications suggested that its caseload for short-term lets in Badenoch and Strathspey had dropped from 369 in 2024 to 68 last year.

While a license is already needed for short-term lets, there is an added requirement to secure planning consent in control areas.

Highland Council said the zones did not act as a ban but were a "proportionate approach" to helping tackle housing shortages.

Badenoch and Strathspey - which includes places like Aviemore, Kingussie and Newtonmore - is the local authority's first control zone.

The council said data suggested that since its introduction two years ago, fewer newly built houses and properties for sale were being converted to short-term lets, in contrast to other areas in the Highlands.

A spokesperson said: "Early indications suggest that the introduction of a short-term let control area for Badenoch and Strathspey has slowed the growth of secondary short-term lets across the area."

They added: "Trends will continue to be monitored as more data becomes available, alongside the housing need and demand assessment for Highland."

The local authority is looking at introducing more control areas, including one for Inverness.

The Association of Scotland's Self-Caters said it had "significant concerns" about the research, claiming it was limited and not "rigorous".

Chief executive Fiona Campbell added: "Before any further control areas are designated, we call on Highland Council to undertake a proper holistic review of the control area rather than cherry-picking evidence."