A HOLIDAY flat owner has been given the backing of neighbours in her appeal to keep trading in the centre of North Berwick.

Emily Black has produced five letters of support from fellow owners of homes next to her property on Kirk Ports.

And in an appeal to East Lothian Council’s local review body, her agent says that the flat has operated for three years without a single complaint.

Council planners refused to grant a change of use for the flat to be used as a short-term holiday let in September last year, after ruling that a shared communal entrance with long-term residents made it "incompatible" with the amenity of neighbours.

However, in the appeal it is pointed out that planners received no objections to the change of use and instead received five letters of support from fellow residents.

The agent says: “Neighbours in the other properties have clearly stated that the holiday let has had no impact on their residential amenity – they support this retrospective change of use which, of course, is no change to them anyway, as it is an existing short‐term let.”

'Well-run local business'

Planners had refused permission for the holiday let use of the ground floor two-bedroom flat, despite the council's own economic development manager supporting the application.

The council’s housing service did object to the retrospective change of use, stating that the holiday let use was a "significant loss" to long-term property in the town.

And planning officers said that the use of the property for short-term lets would lead to a high turnover of people staying, which would create an unacceptable level of "disturbance" not normally associated with permanent or long-term residential use.

They said: “Moreover, allowing frequently changing guests unfettered access to otherwise secure shred areas changes the actual and perceived level of security for permanent residents.”

In the appeal to the review body, the agent says: “This is a well‐run local business that will be put out of business if unsubstantiated assumptions are the basis on which these types of decisions are made.”