It’s claimed newly proposed amendments to laws aimed at regulating short-term lets will decimate Clare’s rural tourism.
The Government is now aiming to restrict the properties in towns with populations in excess of 20,000.
There are currently just 20 towns in Ireland, with a population above 20,000 with only Ennis falling into that bracket in Clare.
Although on paper this means that short-term lets throughout rural areas of the county could continue to operate without specific planning permission, it has sparked concerns for the local economy.
AirBnB Host Leader for Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, Lorna Cahill, who’s based in Miltown Malbay says there’s already a severe shortage of hotel beds and that holidaymakers are cancelling stays due to uncertainty around the rules.
A public meeting of MidWest Short Term Let Hosts and Oireachtas members last night heard calls for clarity on the future of the industry.
The Government’s goal of introducing a short-term letting register is to free up roughly 12,000 properties nationwide for the long-term rental market.
Clare Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe admits, however, that in many cases this scenario just isn’t feasible.
Clare’s Fine Gael TD has pledged to sit down with his party colleague, the Tourism Minister , to trash out the finer details of the proposed rule changes.
Deputy Joe Cooney says he will be speaking to Minister Peter Burke in the coming days.
Listen to the full interview here
