Runs a family self catering business. Pro 🏴 visitor economy.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Joined December 2022
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David MacKenzie 🏴 retweeted
** Yesterday you didn't need planning permission. Tomorrow you may need it. Our policies have changed since you started your business, so you might not get it now…. **
The gap between @argyllandbute Council's assurances on its proposed short-term let control areas and its published licensing policy is deeply troubling.
The Council says existing operators will not be retrospectively affected.
Yet its licensing policy expressly anticipates existing licence holders having to apply for planning permission or a Certificate of Lawfulness after designation. Refusal could mean their licence is refused, varied or revoked. I read that as a clear route to affecting established businesses through licensing.
How are we supposed to reconcile those two positions?
The Council’s papers also models a hypothetical 10% reduction in existing self-catering properties, approximately 140 properties, returning to residential use.
Whose businesses does the Council envisage closing?
Whose livelihoods are at risk?
There is absolutely no evidence that these proposals will deliver affordable permanent homes. A business closing does not guarantee that its property becomes an affordable home, or even a permanently occupied one.
If the Council provides definitive, published confirmation that designation will not trigger blanket demands for existing, unchanged businesses to prove their historic planning status, including at licence renewal, we will welcome it.
Until then, I cannot advise established operators to take comfort from the claim that this only affects new proposals.
I believe operators have every reason to be worried, and every reason to respond.
Please respond to the consultation by 15 November 2026: argyll-bute.gov.uk/planning-…
I urge everyone affected to ask for evidence, clear safeguards and an honest explanation of what these proposals mean for existing businesses.
Respond to the consultation. It is critical.
#SelfCatering #ArgyllAndBute #ScottishTourism #SupportLocalBusinesses @ASSCnews @st_alliance @Argyll_IslesApp
In the minds of our politicians business closure is an acceptable consequence of vibe politics.
This kind of crap is why our country is slowly declining.
inverness-courier.co.uk/news…
David MacKenzie 🏴 retweeted
Scots in need of a holiday are finding themselves priced out of their own country
thetimes.com/uk/scotland/art…
David MacKenzie 🏴 retweeted
Tell me, did the irony strike you when you were commissioning the visitor levy campaign? Ever think you’d be getting more revenue if you hadn’t been so intent on closing down legal, well-regarded businesses? The black market that’s blossoming in their place isn’t paying a penny…
The grim march of the visitor levy across 🏴 now rinsing Scots requiring medical treatment.
A very special kind of tourist tax courtesy of @thesnp.
strathspey-herald.co.uk/news…
David MacKenzie 🏴 retweeted
Whilst @edinburgh_CC actively axes full-time licensed self-catering operators making up just 1% of housing by conflating with planning, it ignores the far larger black market it created; a market costing the city millions in lost VL. This is a travesty of natural justice. #SaveSC
Here’s a ‘loophole’ you might want to take credit for @CllrChasBooth: take the 4300 STLs currently on Airbnb not displaying a licence, let’s estimate £5000 revenue in this quarter; that’s £250 per property, per quarter lost in Accommodation Tax (sorry; visitor levy). That’s £1m PER QUARTER in lost revenue. Why then, are you and @Edinburgh_CC so determined to shut down the ever-diminishing amount of licensed STls paying the tax? Especially in the total absence of any evidence of loss of amenity for most of them. #SaveSC @bbcandrewpicken @deadlinenews @vickimillerVS @adamtomforrest @CBI_Scotland @SCOTOnetwork @stephenjardine @briandonnellyHT @collarbrodies @licensinglaws @stvnews @stvsharon @montaukian @mediawummin @RhodaFMorrison @donaldturvill @heraldscotland @bbcscotlandnews @edinburghpaper
The draconian STL licensing scheme within Edinburgh has completely failed to address the affordable housing crisis.
The typical Edinburgh home is now worth £284,900.. looking back over the last five years, the average property value has grown by 14.3%.
ASSC STATE OF THE NATION
Visitor accom in 🏴 struggles to survive from an onslaught of bureaucracy and cost from gov. legislation.
We once welcomed visitors to 🏴 with open arms but increasingly our doors are shut.
@StephenFlynnSNP
@JohnSwinney
youtu.be/lGwB8XfALi0?si=XKW3…
David MacKenzie 🏴 retweeted
They thought up the rules. They wrote the rules. They implemented the rules. Now they don’t like the rules...
And this, ladies and gentlemen, perfectly sums up why the Scottish Greens shouldn’t be allowed within five miles of any legislative authority.
High volume high impact visitor accomodation now gets routinely approved in Edinburgh while micro scale low impact single properties get shutdown.
edinburghnews.scotsman.com/n…
David MacKenzie 🏴 retweeted
📢 Advocacy Update: ASSC Seeks Urgent National Solution to Licensing and Planning Crisis
The ASSC has asked the Scottish Government to agree an urgent route towards resolving the damaging interaction between short-term let licensing and planning.
Following a meeting with Scottish Government housing and planning officials on 15th September, the ASSC has set out a clear basis for resolution, including:
• Protecting established self-catering businesses from retrospective action
• Ensuring Control Areas operate prospectively
• Clearly distinguishing licensing from planning
• Restoring consistency, proportionality and legal clarity across Scotland
We have also requested a focused technical meeting to examine potential policy and legislative solutions, while continuing to engage directly with local authorities where members are affected.
The ASSC has asked the Scottish Government for a substantive commitment to proceed within 14 days. If this is not secured, the Board has authorised the next stage, beginning with formal pre-action correspondence.
We will continue to pursue a constructive solution while preparing to take further action where necessary.
Read the full advocacy update:
assc.co.uk/news/advocacy-upd…
@FionaCampbell74 @SaveSCScotland
Urgent action requested from the@scotgov to stop the ongoing damage to the visitor economy caused by planning policies.
@StephenFlynnSNP
@hmgoodlad1
@S_A_Somerville
assc.co.uk/news/advocacy-upd…
David MacKenzie 🏴 retweeted
@ASSCnews calls on @ELCouncil not to proceed with proposed #VisitorLevy until it demonstrates a scheme would deliver positive net economic benefit & not harm already overburdened small local businesses bringing spend to the county. #SaveSC @ScotBandBassoc assc.co.uk/news/east-lothian…
Labour have form on this. @Edinburgh_CC put in place a levy with a complete disregard to the impact on the local economy, jobs.. and accomodation prices.
More damage to 🏴 visitor economy as Inverness self catering apartment on upper floor rejected due to flooding risk.
We need protection from @thesnp and its lackey state not tsunamis.
share.google/ZgCqsjpwHmr1DBy…
David MacKenzie 🏴 retweeted
Aided by the abysmal Greens, who have no idea how the real world works, but they DO know how to manipulate activists to do their bidding. Take Chas, he shows solidarity with Living Rent & taking down landlords, whilst all the time being one himself. The hypocrisy is off the scale
While the UK considers the impact of AI on human rights here in 🏴 our right to run visitor accomodation is under daily threat from oppressive @thesnp anti visitor schemes.. licensing, planning, levies.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyz…
