Argyll short-term let consultation extended after council corrects housing data

The Argyll short-term let consultation has been extended by two weeks after the council apologised for errors in its housing evidence. Residents and operators now have until 15th November 2026 to respond to the proposed planning control area.

Argyll and Bute Council announced the correction on 2nd October. Its previously published claim that up to 42% of housing in the proposed area was unavailable as a permanent home has been superseded by a revised figure of up to 38.8%.

That figure combines short-term lets, long-term empty properties and second homes not used as short-term lets. It must not be read as saying that 38.8% of homes are holiday lets. The proposal remains open for consultation; no control area has been designated.

What went wrong in the Argyll short-term let consultation?

The council said feedback prompted it to review a table in the consultation materials and identify inaccuracies. It has published an amended table and extended the original consultation, which opened on 21st September and was due to close on 1st November.

In its Argyll short-term let consultation apology, the council said the extension would “ensure people have sufficient time to consider the revised information”.

This is a correction to the evidence supporting the proposal, rather than the withdrawal of the proposed control area. We previously reported the opening of the Argyll and Bute consultation. Anyone responding now should use the amended material rather than the original headline figure.

What the corrected 38.8% figure actually means

The revised maximum describes housing unavailable for permanent occupation across several categories. It is not a single measure of short-term letting, nor a uniform percentage applying to every place inside the proposed boundary.

The amended Argyll short-term let consultation evidence distinguishes secondary letting from second homes and long-term empty homes. Secondary letting means letting accommodation in which the operator does not normally live. Home sharing and home letting are different arrangements.

That distinction matters when assessing the case for a planning intervention. A control area would bring certain new changes to short-term letting within planning control. It would not, simply by being designated, return an empty house or an unlet second home to permanent occupation.

The council’s broader case concerns housing supply, affordability and the ability of communities and employers to retain residents and workers. Its Statement of Reasons, amended on 2nd October 2026, sets out why it considers targeted intervention justified while recognising the visitor economy.

For anyone responding to the Argyll short-term let consultation, the useful question is how the revised evidence supports the proposed measure in their housing market area. Treating every category of unavailable housing as a holiday let would obscure that question.

The revised evidence illustrates why one headline percentage cannot describe all four housing markets. Its summary rounds the combined unavailable stock to about 30% in Mull and Iona, 39% in Coll and Tiree, 28% in Islay, Jura and Colonsay, and 14% in Lorn and the Inner Isles. Those rounded figures should be read alongside the corrected table, not substituted for the exact 38.8% maximum.

The evidence also records a decline in the share of housing available for private rent between 2022 and 2025 in each of these areas. For example, Mull and Iona fell from 12.8% to 10.4%, while Coll and Tiree fell from 6.7% to 4.6%. These are separate indicators of housing pressure. They do not establish that every lost rental home became a short-term let.

Where the proposed control area would apply

The amended Statement of Reasons identifies four Housing Market Areas:

• Mull and Iona
• Coll and Tiree
• Islay, Jura and Colonsay
• Lorn and the Inner Isles

The council’s FAQs describe the fourth area as Oban, Lorn and the Inner Isles. The Argyll short-term let consultation targets these housing markets, rather than the whole of Argyll and Bute.

For a particular property, use the Argyll short-term let consultation boundary map. A place name in a news article is no substitute for checking the mapped boundary before buying a property or planning a change of use.

What a short-term let control area changes

A Scottish short-term let control area is not a ban. For new secondary letting within a designated area, changing a dwellinghouse, including a flat, to short-term letting requires planning permission. The regime contains exceptions, including for the use of someone’s principal home.

The practical change is that the authority need not first decide whether each covered new change of use is material. It can assess the planning merits through an application, including housing impacts and effects on neighbours.

Scotland’s separate short-term let licensing regime deals with safety and operational requirements. A licence does not replace any planning permission needed. Equally, planning permission does not remove licensing obligations.

Existing operators should avoid assuming that designation either invalidates or legalises their use. The council’s FAQs explain that existing planning requirements remain: a use that already required permission because it was a material change of use would still require it.

There is a further distinction worth keeping in mind. The amended Statement of Reasons says detailed non-statutory planning guidance will be consulted on separately, with its own timing. The Argyll short-term let consultation concerns whether to designate the proposed control area and why those boundaries have been chosen. An operator should therefore distinguish a response about designation from a later response about the policy used to assess individual applications.

For owners considering a new operation, I would check three things before committing money: whether the property lies within the proposed boundary, what planning use is currently lawful, and whether the intended operation already needs permission. Being outside a proposed control area does not answer the last question. The practical planning position depends on the existing and proposed use, not simply the presence of a licence or a booking website.

Why the Argyll short-term let consultation has been extended

The extended Argyll short-term let consultation gives residents, businesses, community groups and operators an extra fortnight to review the corrected evidence before commenting. The council is seeking views on a proposal that balances housing needs with tourism, rather than announcing a settled outcome.

I would read the amended table alongside the reasons and map before responding. If you disagree with the proposal, explain which evidence, boundary or likely planning consequence concerns you. If you support it, explain the local housing or amenity issue you believe the measure would address.

You can respond through the Argyll short-term let consultation response page. Its FAQs confirm the revised deadline is midnight on 15th November 2026. Paper documents are available at council service points, and the Development Policy Team can arrange an alternative response method for people unable to use the website.

What happens after 15th November?

The Argyll short-term let consultation follows the council’s decision at its meeting on 24th June 2026. Responses will return to the council for consideration and a decision on whether to proceed.

If it chooses to pursue designation, Scottish Ministers’ approval is required. The Scottish Government’s planning circular explains the consultation, approval and publicity stages. Approval must precede the designation notice, and at least 28 days must separate publication of that notice from the control area taking effect.

We have also covered the Highland control-area proposals. The Argyll short-term let consultation remains at an earlier stage. Neither the revised closing date nor the council’s apology establishes an operative date or guarantees approval.