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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Marie Sharp

East Lothian flat owners fail in bid to turn them into holiday lets

The owners of three flats in a block of six in the seaside town of North Berwick have been ordered not to run them as holiday lets by East Lothian planners.

Forthview Properties Ltd, whose office address is listed as Berwick Upon Tweed, applied for a change of use for all three flats - two of which had been operating as holiday homes for some time - earlier this year.

However all three applications have now been rejected after complaints were raised by North Berwick Community Council and local residents.

READ MORE: East Lothian holiday flat forced to close to visitors after councillors 'needed torch'

A report by planning officers said concerns were raised about the impact of holiday lets on affordable residential accommodation for locals as well as noise and antisocial behaviour caused by shared entrances to all the properties.

The local authority has rejected previous applications for change of use to holiday lets by other home owners because the properties shared communal entrance and hallways with long-term residents.

All three of the flats involved are in a six-flat block at West Bay Court, just yards from West Bay Apartments, on neighbouring Station Hill, where another owner was refused the right to use it as a holiday let for the same reason earlier this year.

Planning officers said they received three objections to the most recent application for number 6 West Bay Court, although two were from the same person, and the community council objected saying the shared entrance would be 'disruptive for the permanent residents within that building'.

Refusing permission for the change of use officers said the level of additional activity caused by short term guests coming and going in the shared entrance and stair areas would be 'evidently different' to that expected by long term residents.

They added: "Allowing frequently changing guests unfettered access to otherwise secured shared areas and facilities changes the actual and perceived level of security for permanent residents."

Refusals were also issued to Forthview Properties for retrospective change of use to holiday lets for nos 3 and no 5 in the block.

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