North Berwick: Permission to use three flats as holiday lets refused

Forthview Properties Ltd, whose office address is listed as Berwick-upon-Tweed, applied for a change of use for all three flats – two of which had been operating as holiday homes for some time – earlier this year.

However, all three applications have now been rejected after complaints were raised by North Berwick Community Council and local residents.

A report by planning officers said that concerns were raised about the impact of holiday lets on affordable residential accommodation for locals, as well as noise and anti-social behaviour caused by shared entrances to all the properties.

East Lothian Council has rejected previous applications for change of use to holiday lets by other homeowners because the properties shared communal entrances and hallways with long-term residents.

All three of the flats involved are in a six-flat block at West Bay Court, just yards from West Bay Apartments, on neighbouring Station Hill, where another owner was refused the right to use their property as a holiday let for the same reason earlier this year.

Planning officers said that they received three objections to the most recent application for number 6 West Bay Court, although two were from the same person, and the community council objected, saying that the shared entrance would be "disruptive for the permanent residents within that building".

Refusing permission for the change of use, officers said that the level of additional activity caused by short-term guests coming and going in the shared entrance and stair areas would be "evidently different" to that expected by long-term residents.

They added: “Allowing frequently changing guests unfettered access to otherwise secured shared areas and facilities changes the actual and perceived level of security for permanent residents.”

Refusals were also issued to Forthview Properties for retrospective change of use to holiday lets for no. 3 and no. 5 in the block.