Brighton & Hove Council has hatched plans to start charging Airbnb users for parking and is also considering a ban on full-time Airbnbs in new builds and designating ‘no Airbnb’ zones in the city.
A report to be studied by councillors later this month points to the potential negative consequences of its growing short-term let sector, including the impact on housing supply, nuisance and antisocial behaviour, and problems in ensuring that properties meet fire and gas safety standards, are properly registered as businesses, and use commercial waste services.
The authority’s ‘task & finish’ group has looked at introducing specific parking permits for short-term lets as a new funding stream and explains: “While introducing a short-term visitor permit is theoretically feasible, further analysis is necessary to understand the possible negative impact of revenue loss from on-street parking or car park usage.
“Additionally, it would need to be established that the proportion of visitor permits does not interfere with existing residents’ parking or their ability to obtain permits.”
A proposal to add a clause in leases for new builds and conversions that they cannot be used as full-time short-term lets needs to be backed by evidence to justify the policy, it adds, which could be included in the City Plan by attaching a condition or an s106 agreement to the planning decision.
The committee says there should also be further investigation into introducing zones in the city where short-term let development would be permitted or restricted.
It proposes lobbying the Housing Secretary for a new planning use class for short-term lets with no permitted development rights, and for a licensing scheme with conditions on the operator to provide evidence that the property meets health and safety standards and that it meets all business obligations.
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