Inverness neighbourhood’s character is changing amid rising numbers of short term let properties, say residents

With its stone-built Victorian and Edwardian houses, the Crown neighbourhood in Inverness has traditionally been regarded as a sought-after residential area.

Young families have grown up alongside older residents while professionals are attracted by its peaceful yet well-connected location close to the city centre.

But as the Highland capital looks forward to another tourist season, many Crown residents are preparing for an influx of “here today, gone tomorrow” inhabitants amid a rise in short term let (STL) properties, or Airbnb-style accommodation.

• Inverness community voices concerns over rise in Airbnb-type accommodation

• Airbnb properties in Inverness increase by 80 per cent over five years

• Call for more affordable homes and sensitivity over short-term lets in village near Loch Ness

• Shortage of Inverness rental properties force letting agents to ‘close viewings within an hour’

There are growing concerns that the character of the neighbourhood is changing and community networks are being eroded as residents find longer-term next-door neighbours have been replaced by a continuous rotation of visitors passing through.

Community leaders maintain that would-be residents are struggling to find a property to buy or rent as available properties are snapped up for holiday accommodation and another key box is installed by another doorway.

There are also anecdotal reports of residents having to help out visitors access their accommodation and of anti-social behaviour.

The area is just a snapshot of what is happening elsewhere across the Highlands with more than 8000 properties listed on the STL licensing public register kept by Highland Council.

It comes against a background of an existing housing crisis with the council acknowledging last summer that the region needs an extra 24,000 houses over the next 10 years.to address a long-standing shortage of affordable homes.

Last summer, community leaders in Drumnadrochit, which draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting Loch Ness, voiced concerns about the shortage of affordable housing for locals plus the impact of STLs.

In Crown, community representatives have raised the issue with local councillors including Inverness Millburn councillor Isabelle Mackenzie who shares their worries.

“People don’t realise what is happening to the community,” she reflects.

“There are going to be fewer families in the community.

“It is going to be soulless.”

Another impact is the lack of housing available for key workers - not just NHS staff but care workers and other vital workers, too, she says.

Cllr Mackenzie believes the issue is further compounded by the type of housing available.

“I think there are a lot of big family houses here where people are rattling on their own because they cannot downsize because there is nowhere to downsize to,” she says

“You have to have a mixed housing approach when you are doing new developments so people of all ages can live and grow up and adapt to this area.”

Inverness Central councillor Michael Gregson says there is a risk that areas with a high proportion of STL properties will no longer be active as a community and people start to feel socially isolated.

“You don’t have people living in the street any more. They don’t know their neighbours. There is a loss of community cohesion,” he says.

“It is very disruptive to people’s lives when the house next door is occupied by transient people.

“All sorts of minor things creep in.

“You have have disruption with the bins not being filled appropriately.

“Where you have controversial planning applications, only half the street might be interested because 10 of the properties are given over to STLs.”

“I have been told by a lot of people there is no one living next door, they have no neighbours.

“People feel very isolated because there is no community around.

“It is no longer a residential area. It is a tourist area.”

Crown and City Centre Community Council chairperson Fiona MacBeath says that an informal survey by a community councillor revealed 53 STL properties in Crown’s Hill district including 23 in Ardconnel Street.

Although the council keeps a register of STL applications, Ms MacBeath says it is hard to interpret.

“I believe the council should map short-term lets visually, rather than just relying on spreadsheets, to fully grasp the scale of the issue,” she says.

Ms MacBeath highlights council projections showing Crown Primary School’s roll is set to drop by 25 per cent in six years - from 251 pupils in 2023/24 to 187 in 2029/30 - and queries whether it is related to the rise in STLs.

“It would be useful for the council to analyse council tax data to track how many former family homes have become short-term lets,” she says.

She agrees with others that it is time to consider controlling the number of STLs to prevent over saturation.

Some are calling for the introduction of a scheme similar to one which came into force last year in Badenoch and Strathspey in a bid to tackle the lack of affordable housing in that area.

Under the scheme, the council set up a control zone requiring STL properties to be subject to planning permission although the move proved controversial with the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers describing it as "wrongheaded" and asserting it would not lead to a flood of affordable homes.

But Danny Muschate, of Kingsmills Road, is among the residents in Crown who feels there should be measures to control the STL numbers in the area.

“We need some management of it,” he says.

During the summer, he and his wife rent out one bedroom in their home on a B&B basis but points out they still lives there.

Mr Muschate recalls his wife visiting an older resident whose home is next to a property no longer occupied by the owner.

“It is the community aspect I worry about,” he says.

---

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.

---