Concerns about the extent of Airbnb holiday lets and second homes dominated much of Rye Town Council’s planning committee on Monday July 22. Councillors shared their worries about the town’s holiday rental market during discussions about potential changes to the Rye Neighbourhood Plan and Rother Local Plan.
The Rye plan is now five years old and needs some updating according to co-ordinator Anthony Kimber. “Big changes would need extensive consultation and a referendum, but I think we only need a light touch review this time.” His suggestion to look at minor changes to be discussed in the autumn was endorsed by councillors, with committee chair Cllr Chris Hoggart thanking him for his hard work on the Neighbourhood Plan which he praised for its detail. “It has saved us from heartache in the past and will save us from heartache in the future.”
With consultation now closed on the Rother Local Plan, Anthony Kimber told the meeting the 450 page document contained 50 specific references to Rye. You can read the town council’s response to the consultation on its website. Councillors noted how the document highlighted the urgent need for social and affordable housing, especially for young people.
It was during this part of the meeting that the scale of second homes, Airbnbs and holiday lets in Rye was discussed. “A huge worldwide problem that needs urgent action here,” said Cllr Fiddimore.
“It’s not just the housing, the people who use them don’t buy into the community,” noted Cllr Hughes.
“None of it is regulated. Fire and electricity regulations – they just don’t apply,” said Cllr Boyd.
“A large part of Rye has been taken over, providing little benefit to the community and removing housing for local people,” highlighted Cllr Bookless.
Just how many homes are holiday lets is not known, but it’s thought to be several hundred in and around Rye. Addressing the meeting Rother Councillor Simon McGurk confirmed the district council would survey the extent of the problem in Rye and Winchelsea very soon. “There’s a difference between local people letting out a room or two and big corporations who take out large amounts of the housing sector.”
The planning meeting at the town hall was attended by several members of the Rye Creative Centre keen to hear more about how future development might affect their building and future employment.
Image Credits: Ian Taylor CC .
Having moved to Rye just over a year ago I heartily agree with Cllr Hughes’ comment that Airbnb owners do not form part of our community. Their properties appear unloved and often neglected. I believe that Rye will only thrive if its residents are deeply invested in our community and care about the appearance of their properties.
Perhaps a doubling of the Council tax on these properties would discourage people from using them for this purpose.
Hear, hear. As I have stated previously, I live in Hastings Old Town and our community is falling apart due to the amount of empty second homes. We also have several properties for sale at the inflated prices that people from more affluent prices were willing to pay, but now seem to no longer wish to part with their money here. These properties should be lowered in price, or rented, enabling local families to stay within their own community, where many of them were born.
I’m in agreement with C Parkin, but would suggest quadrupling Council Tax on second homes / Airbnb properties. This might have the advantage of either releasing properties back onto the market or raising extra Council Tax funding for maintenance of say, our roads.
You surely cannot live in two homes simultaneously, and until landlords of such properties are shamed into letting them out at reasonable rentals for those that need to live in Rye for work/school purposes, the problem will continue.
One only has to see the demonstrations in the streets of Spain to understand what a problem this is and what we could face in the future.
I understand that almost 1 in 5 property sales in Rye relate to the purchase of second homes. Local estate agents could confirm the exact figure. It means fewer homes for local people. It would be tricky to ascertain how many properties are being used for Airbnb-type accommodation: some are fully available for rent, while other owners might simply rent a spare room. However, anecdotally, the percentage of properties in the Citadel being used as holiday lets is thought to be quite high. If one allows too many short-let rental properties and Airbnbs to proliferate, one risks Rye becoming a ghost town. Action is urgently needed to control and regulate this short-let rental phenomenon.
I would welcome a review of the holiday let situation. However most visitors who stay in Rye are helping to keep the shops, restaurants and bars going. Any review should also include second homes which, if empty most of the time, contribute nothing. I should also point out that there are holiday lets owned by Rye residents who are very much part of the community.
They should be charged the same rates as those for hotels. We love and visit Rye regularly. Part of the joy is staying in the Mermaid or other wonderful hotels. They are part of the town’s fabric. Air B&B has been harming communities and housing complexes across the globe ever since it began. With the recent news coverage of the illegal filming of guests, I hope this will help bring a swift end to something so pernicious.
There should be a strict limit to how many air b and b in places like rye .. I often walk about around the church and wonder how many actually live there . I don’t think there’s anything wrong with somebody who is actually living in a house all of the time to rent out a couple of rooms every now and again that makes it a lot more affordable for people who actually want to stay in rye