Fife Council Advances Short-Term Let Control Plans for St Andrews and East Neuk

Fife Council is progressing plans for tighter planning controls on short-term holiday lets in St Andrews and the East Neuk amid concerns that visitor accommodation is reducing the supply of homes for permanent residents.

In January 2026, councillors on Fife Council’s Cabinet Committee voted to advance the proposals, despite advice from the council’s planning officers against designation.

A proposed Short-Term Let Control Area strategy was then presented to the North East Fife Area Committee on 28 October, 2026. 

Within a control area, homeowners would need planning permission to use a property that is not their main residence as a short-term let, a practice known as secondary letting. Elsewhere, planning permission is required only when the council determines that a material change of use has occurred.

No control area has been designated, and the council must consult further and obtain consent from Scottish ministers before one can take effect.

The measure would not ban holiday lets. Instead, it would allow the council to assess proposed conversions by their effect on housing and neighbourhoods, while considering tourism’s economic contribution.

Short-term let licensing, which regulates safety standards, is separate from planning permission. If a control area were introduced, holding a licence would not, by itself, confirm whether an operator needed planning approval.

Long-established lets may be treated differently. Under Scottish Government guidance, a property used continuously for short-term letting for more than ten years without enforcement action may be eligible for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Existing Use or Development, subject to evidence.

The proposals focus on areas with high concentrations of visitor accommodation. Fife Council housing figures from September 2024 showed that short-term lets accounted for 8.13% of dwellings in Largo and the East Neuk and 5.41% in the St Andrews housing strategy area, compared with 1.10% across Fife.

According to The Courier, 59% of the 735 respondents to a council consultation in 2025 supported introducing control areas. 

The Confederation of St Andrews Residents’ Associations has backed the restrictions, arguing that short-term lets reduce long-term housing availability and increase pressure on rents and prices.

The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers has raised objections to the proposals. On 23 October, the association expressed concerns over apparent inconsistencies in council documents regarding whether existing operators would face new planning requirements. 

“We need a clear answer about what this proposal would mean for existing businesses,” said Fiona Campbell, the association’s Chief Executive, in a statement published on its website.

The association also cited a 2024 study it commissioned, which estimated that Fife’s short-term lets generated £80.1 million in gross value added and supported 2,721 jobs in 2023.

Further research and consultation are planned, with findings expected to return to the committee in early 2027. Councillors could then decide whether to seek ministerial approval.

Fife Council, local accommodation providers, and industry representatives did not respond to requests for comments at the time of writing.