OPINION: Daring to dream of restful nights as new holiday home licensing scheme kicks in
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At last there is a chink of light at the end of the tunnel for local home-owners kept awake into the early hours by holiday homes hot tubs in the strath and wider Highlands.
For the first time new licensing powers introduced last October for the regulation of short term lets were exercised – well kind of – by the Highlands authority.
Disturbance from holiday homes has long been a thorny subject in the region's tourism hotspots and at the centre of it all are the 'dreaded' hot tubs.
For some who have not tried to sleep through constant late night revelry, it can be hard to realise just what kind of a damaging impact this can have on quality of life.
That certainly seemed to be true when the first case was brought before the Highland Licensing Committee in Inverness – and we bet it will definitely not be the last.
A couple of the committee's members were rather dismissive of the objections raised by Barry and Polly Middleton who told the committee their sleep had been disturbed on a regular basis for almost a decade by hot tubs in Aviemore's residential Allt Mor.
Some sense of reason did prevail thanks to licensing committee chairman Sean Kennedy and fellow member and ex-Aviemore resident Duncan Macpherson.
But in the end it was a rather nonsensical outcome to put a curfew on guests using the hot tub at one of the Aviemore holiday lets at 10pm and at 11pm for the neighbouring facility which is neither one thing nor the other.
Highland Council environmental health officers said that taking tougher action than a relatively late night curfew would have to be 'evidenced'.
With licensing of short-term lets new to the region that was not possible in this instance.
But these new powers will allow the local authority to build up a picture of where unreasonable disturbance is being created on a regular basis and what actions are being taken by the property owner and/or management agency to prevent this.
Much like rogue licensed premises, we expect that with the passage of time this will allow for proper punitive action to be taken against repeat offenders and potentially even the removal of hot tubs in order for problem STLs to continue to operate.
This is a welcome first for the region.
In the past those on the end of disturbances from partying holiday guests have had to rely on the police paying a late-night visit (on rare occasions if you strike lucky), just for it all to kick off half-an-hour late and rinse and repeat.
There are usually one or two culprits straining their voices above all others and the music from the bluetooth speaker desperate to be heard regardless of the late hour.
We do agree that not all users of hot tubs are so inconsiderate – and we are counting local owners amongst them – but adding alcohol and bubbles is just too intoxicating for many.
It may take some time for the impact of these new licensing powers to filter through and curfews on hot tub times seems to be a sensible compromise although 11pm will be far too late for those who are already suffering.
But those who have had their sleep deprived for too long by hot tub revellers can now dare to dream there is some hope.
What do you think? Let us know in comments or by email at editorial@sbherald.co.uk
