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Short-term lets in Scotland’s capital city are being blamed on the popularity of short-term holiday lets

By Katrina Goldsmith

Edinburgh has a total of 7,818 listed homes on Airbnb as of 13th September 2022. This is a decrease since 2019 most likely due to Covid and new regulations. With so many tourists coming to Edinburgh, the demand for short-term rentals has increased. Airbnb is a service which allows property owners to rent out their homes and spaces to tourists looking for an affordable place to stay whilst travelling. Airbnb is the second most demanded accommodation brand and location in the UK. In 2019 11,048 homes were listed on Airbnb. This was at its peak demographic before COVID-19 heavily decreased the demand for the service. Since then, this number has dropped to just under 8000 homes listed as Airbnb in Scotland.

It is known that Edinburgh is fully populated during peak tourist season (June – August) as Edinburgh plays host to numerous successful festivals and events. Edinburgh is popular amongst visiting tourists, with attractions such as the world-famous Fringe or Hogmanay shows, with 3,012,490 people attending the fringe and 184,566 in attendance at Edinburgh’s Hogmanay event in 2021. This can make it challenging to find short-term accommodation within the city centre. Out of all Scottish cities, Edinburgh has the highest population of Airbnb listings.

Data from September shows that currently there are over 7000 homes listed for Airbnb. The pinpoints on the map indicate the regions with the highest number of homes listed on Airbnb. All of which are close to the city centre. With the likes of Old Town, Princes Street and Leith Street having 683 homes to let. Meanwhile, regions such as Fairmilehead currently have 2 properties listed. Having vast numbers of homes only available for short-term lets has many impacts on the locals who live in that area. Although Airbnb increases tourism and the economy of Edinburgh, it can reduce the availability of houses for those who need it, and the service also has a heavy impact on the affordability of homes.

However, since the peak of demand in 2019, calls for the government to place regulations on Airbnb in Edinburgh skyrocketed after locals struggled to find accommodation within the city centre. On the 5th of September, a short-term let controlled area was introduced by Edinburgh City Council which covers the entirety of the local authority area. This regulation meant that individuals who owned a second property and is not a primary residence accommodation in the Edinburgh council area must gain planning permission in order to list their property on Airbnb or as a short-term let. This exempts properties which have been operating without any planning permission for at least a minimum of 10 years prior. This would cost second home property owners between £600 – £24,300 depending on the size of the space they wish to let.

Owners who do not comply can be prevented from operating by Edinburgh Council. An enforcement notice will be passed onto the hosts and 28 days will be given for them to comply with the regulations. Failure to do so will result in a fine of up to £2000. In serious issues and repeated offences, this can increase to up to £20,000.

News

Wastewater samples tested for COVID-19

by Katrina Goldsmith

Scottish Water has been helping fight the pandemic in its own way by monitoring wastewater around Scotland.

Testing the wastewater is fundamental in locating and identifying COVID spikes and outbreaks within the regions of Scotland. Scottish Water sample officers drive out around Scotland weekly to deliver the water samples to a testing facility run by SEPA (Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Labs examine the water looking for fragments of COVID-19 in ribonucleic acid (RNA), a method which has been developed by the Roslin Institute scientists in Edinburgh.

RNA is produced by the body; it is an important biological macromolecule that functions to convert the genetic information of DNA into proteins.

Wastewater fragments are not infectious and that there is zero evidence to suggest that individuals can contract Covid through wastewater. This testing provides useful data to track covid through Scottish regions and maintain control over the virus to prevent any more future lockdowns. Monitoring the water has allowed scientists to use the data to not only maintain control of where the virus is but also put the data towards COVID vaccines.

Luke Thomson, a Scottish Water sampling officer said: “Samples are collected all over Scotland from multiple teams. Every major then or village gets sampled, such as the central belt of Scotland, Langholm, and up in the Isles of Orkney”.

“Samples from influent wastewater is a reliable way of tracking where coronavirus is due to people not knowing whether they have covid as they aren’t showing symptoms or are not taking tests.”

“It can’t always be clear where COVID-19 is most abundant. Since covid leaves trace in human waste, it is an effective method of COVID pinpointing potential local spikes, which has majorly assisted the Scottish Governments in providing data on COVID cases in Scotland”.

As of the 11th of October 2022, there have been a total of 200,564 total cases registered in the City of Edinburgh alone since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. 356 cases of positive PCR tests have been recorded in the last week for Edinburgh, that’s an average of 50.86% of Daily positive cases over the last 7 days.

The Scottish Government has extended the contract to investigate COVID-19 in the water system until April 2023.

News

Community Gardens in the Works over Midlothian

By Katrina Goldsmith

Planning is underway for a series of community garden projects around Midlothian.

The garden will provide a space where families, groups and individuals can get together to get away from the digital technologies which are so prominent in our daily lives. It is hoped that the garden will provide the community with a space to socialise and enjoy a range of activities in the great outdoors, thus improving the bond of the community and boosting health and wellbeing.

A Crowdfunder page was set up in early January and awareness for the Crowdfunder page was communicated by reaching out to communities on Facebook and getting involved in small village markets to spread the news through word of mouth. Wellbeing Essentials successfully raised over £30,000 in under 70 to fund their inspirational woodland garden. The money raised will go towards the construction and decorating of the garden. When the project is fully completed it will include gym equipment, outdoor table tennis, flower beds, Community spaces, food growing beds, model railway and e-bike hire and much more.

Roslin community garden plans have currently been put on hold as Wellbeing Essentials awaits planning permission from the council.

In the meantime, the social enterprise has been working on another community garden project in Glencorse. Land gifted to Wellbeing Essential by the Glencorse Association charity.

The land where construction of the garden will begin in November

Wellbeing essential’s officer, Jim Hiddleston stated: “We are optimistic about getting planning for the garden, but whilst we are waiting, we are preparing to start the hard work on our next project in Glencorse. We have started working on creating a Nature Activity Park around the Centre and are working with them to add many new features to the large grounds around the centre that are currently grass areas.”

The plot has plenty of space to create a thriving and natural environment for the community and wildlife to enjoy. The space is intended to serve the community, a Wellbeing Essential cabin is included in the plans and it is hoped the space will be used for the activity groups run by the centre, social events, and weddings.

The Glencorse community garden is set to begin construction on the 18th of November. With the aid of landscape gardeners and the local community, construction is to begin with building a landscaped deer relaxation station. Additionally, Volunteers from Glencorse Centre and Wellbeing Essentials have volunteered to help plant 600 trees will be planted around the woodland garden. Alongside this, a pétanque piste is set to begin construction on the 7th of November.