CALSTOCK Parish Council is to debate the hot topic of airbnbs at its council meeting next Tuesday. Parish councillor Alastair Tinto is urging people in the parish to contribute to the debate, either by coming along to the meeting itself or emailing their views to the parish clerk in advance of the meeting. The issue is being raised after a recent posting on the Calstock Community Forum on Facebook by the owners of an airbnb in the centre of Calstock. It generated an enormous response, with 243 comments from members of the forum. Many of these expressed concern about the number of airbnbs that have been set up in the village. There were worries about the lack of rental accommodation for local people and fears that the character of the village could be damaged by the impact of airbnbs. 

On the other hand, there were also people who pointed to the benefits of tourism to the local economy. Calstock ward councillor, Alastair Tinto, said: `As always, there are two sides to the story.’ As the law stands there is nothing to stop someone turning a house into an airbnb and taking that property out of the local rental market. However, Cornwall Council has voted to press the Government for a change in the planning regulations so that owners of second homes or holiday lets would need change of use planning permission. 

Plymough Labour MP Luke Pollard, as part of his First Homes not Second Homes Manifesto, wants councils to be able to increase council tax as much as fourfold on holiday lets and unused second homes where homes are left empty for much of the year. He also wants second homes, airbnbs and holiday lets to be licensed — with councils able to set a minimum level of ‘first’ homes in any community. 

Cllr Tinto said he felt it was important to have a debate about the issue within the parish council, given the obvious strength of feeling in the parish on the issue. He said: ‘This is a hot issue in Calstock. I think it needs to be debated in the parish council to give a chance for all views to be heard.’ – He has tabled the issue 

for discussion at the next full Calstock Parish Council on Tuesday (February 8) which will be held in the Tamar Valley Centre at Drakewalls. `I’d like people to email their views to the parish clerk on clerk@ calstockparishcouncil. gov.uk,’ added Cllr Tinto. `It would be great to see people come to the meeting and add their views to the discussion.’