Sir, – The application of short-term letting restrictions to areas with populations of more than 20,000 is seen as a victory for tourism over housing (“The new short-term letting rules: has the tourism sector won at the expense of housing?” News, February 17th).
However, with housing supplies even more limited in small towns, why should they bear the burden of short-term lets for the whole country?
It doesn’t work for tourists either. Small towns are less likely to have the facilities or services (restaurants, attractions, frequent public transport) to cater for tourists. Tourists on short breaks are more likely to visit cities or use public transport to visit larger towns and attractions, than to spend half of their weekend traipsing to accommodation in out-of-the-way areas. City-break tourists looking at Ireland’s high hotel prices will simply choose to spend their money in other, more accommodating countries.
Surely a better approach would be to set an upper limit for short-term lets as a percentage of housing in each local authority area, for example 1 per cent of overall housing stock?
READ MORE
Perhaps local authorities could be allowed to vary this figure a little according to local needs, as with the local property tax rates? That would allow all areas to provide an appropriate offering for tourists that is balanced with local housing need. – Yours, etc,
JOHN THOMPSON,
Phibsboro,
Dublin 7.
