Holiday Accommodation

(asked on 18th January 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department provides powers for local authorities to prevent new properties from being used for the sole purpose of (a) airbnb and (b) other short-term holiday lets.


Answered by
Christopher Pincher Portrait
Christopher Pincher
This question was answered on 21st January 2022

This Government recognises that holiday homes can bring benefits to local economies, including the tourism sector, and we do not wish to restrict people’s freedom to live and holiday where they choose. We also recognise, however, that large numbers of holiday homes and lets concentrated in a single area can have a negative effect on local communities.

The planning system has tools to manage the number of new holiday homes in local areas by restricting the sale of new homes to principal residences. This can be done both via a local authority’s local planning policies and through neighbourhood planning. Policies that restrict or prohibit the sale of a new home as holiday home must be supported by appropriate local evidence.

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