Holiday Home Hell

One of the images from the Edinburgh International Festival brochure this year...showing drunks urinating on Greyfriars Bobby

Help improve the lives of those living in the city centre, by calling on the Scottish Government to make landlords of "Holiday Lets" comply with legislation, none at present. Its a start in the right direction for now.


From an article last week Evening News

"The Scottish Government has changed its mind on a crackdown on "party flats" after pleas from residents plagued by revellers who come to the Capital for stag and hen weekends.Neighbours demanded action, claiming their lives have been made a misery by groups of up to 25 people staying in one flat and causing noise, disturbance and antisocial behaviour."

SIGN PETITION HERE

from another piece from 3o March 09 "another neighbour in Grove Street, who asked not to be named, said one of the flats in the street was let out to stag and hen parties for about £600 a night. He said: "For the last three years, every Friday and Saturday it is stuffed with 14 or 16 people who urinate in the stairwell and cause a disturbance. They have been sold the deal as a stag or hen party and they are out to have fun."

"And because it's not an official HMO or a B&B, it falls between two stools and the landlord is not subject to any legislation. He is essentially above the law.

Many of our homes in the republic have been turned into holiday flats...making our lives as families with small children and our elderly neighbours lives (some housebound) hell, we are expected to be unpaid hostel staff.........while the owners sit back and rake in the cash on flats that were once council owned and rented out at £300 a month are now more than that a night!

The Grassmarket is looking to change it`s image

and its happening in Glasgow too

and Cardiff has had enough as well

Council`s Old Town Plan Revealed

Cartoon from Gibbleguts

At a secret committee meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council, this news has been leaked to the Republic....

As we suspected the council`s overall city centre development strategy is to rid the Old Town of permanent residents.

At the meeting it was discussed that the measures already in place are working a treat.

"The HMO`s are going faster than hot cakes", said one councillor. They added "That puts paid to pesky permanent residents breeding any more Edinburgh Old Town residents and there are never voices of dissent from a flat full of spanish student/casual workers on council policy." "Family housing my a**e , who do they think cities are for??" sneered another councillor.

"Us business people thats who" piped up another

"Then when we rename it "Murrayburgh" no one will blink an eyelid" laughed one who is a friend of local architects it is rumoured.


"That policy of destroying all trees, pockets of greenspace is astoundingly quick in driving out not only the wildlife but the most hardy of long term residents" laughed another councillor closely connected to entertainment companies across the city.


They added "The sanitisation of the Grassmarket has worked a treat, so public space will be as out of fashion as a residents association in the not too distant future" sniggered another into their latte.

"The lax response to Hen and Stag parties ruining residents lives is going well", reported another councillor, known for their pro economic development line on the planning committee. "Passing every hotel application is progressing well too", laughed another councillor who has close hotel industry links. "Gosh it won`t be long" sneered a councillor known for their disdain of locals, "before residents are a thing of the past", then we can pay students to dress up as residents through the ages" suggested another who has close links with the tourist industry "

"Spending money on statues are getting their goats at the moment but with one going up soon of the ordinary woman in response to the many complaints about only having the common man statue outside the councils HQ will surely will shut them up" said the committee`s chair.
to be continued.......