Belfast City Council reviews effect of holiday rental websites
According to a member of the Belfast City Council, a review of the effects of holiday rental websites such as Airbnb is “overdue”.
It comes after data released from Airdna suggested a 40% increase in the number of Airbnb and HomeAway bookings in Northern Ireland from May last year to May this year.
A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “Following discussions with members of the Planning Committee, Council’s Planning Service is currently undertaking a review of short term holiday lets to understand their planning status and context. This review will also consider purpose-built student accommodation to understand how, and if, new developments are maintained for that use.”
Airbnb claims figures from third party organisations can be inaccurate, and they aim to make communities stronger and provide tourism benefits to locals.
Nevertheless, the council have raised concern that these type of short-term holiday rentals that Airbnb and other similar websites offer can limit the amount of private rental accommodation available for people who cannot get access to social housing.
With the rise of online hospitality platforms leaving many in Europe concerned about the effect on communities, the council say they must know the impact Airbnb has on our hotels, as well as on traditional B&Bs.
