Planning for holiday lets

Whether you are converting existing buildings or constructing new ones, setting up a new holiday let business can be a wise investment, but what planning permission is required?

The creation of a new self-catering holiday let unit requires planning permission for a new dwelling. If granted, there will be a number of conditions attached, one of which will restrict the occupancy of the dwelling to short term holiday makers only. This condition is used to make the creation of a new dwelling, which might otherwise not be acceptable in principle due to its location or other factors, acceptable.

If you are converting an existing building, such as an outbuilding or barn, national planning policy supports the re-use of existing buildings and this is likely to be an advantage. If you are planning a new building or stationing a mobile unit such as a log cabin for self-catering use, your application will need to comply with relevant policies.

All types of holiday let proposals will be determined with regard to the relevant national and local planning policies and other material considerations. The key issues with these sort of applications tend to be:

• Location including connectivity and proximity to local facilities

• Tourism and local economy policies - eg farm diversification

• Access and parking

Remember that there is a wide variety of types of holiday accommodation and considerable variation in the type of planning permission you will require, so it is a good idea to seek professional advice at the beginning of the process.