An open letter has been sent to the Government about the issue of holiday lets and second homes in the Lake District.
Landscape charity Friends of the Lake District, parish councils and community groups have written to Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, calling for him to take decisive action.
Friends of the Lake District launched the Fairer Housing, Stronger Communities campaign in March.
The campaign aims to make sure there is a better balance between the value that tourism brings to the local economy and the needs of permanent residents.
It wants to see a mandatory registration and licensing scheme introduced for short-term holiday lets.
At the moment, any property owner can convert an existing home into a holiday let or second home without seeking planning permission.
Informal holiday letting via Airbnb and other platforms is not subject to the same conditions as traditional B&Bs.
The letter to Mr Reed says: “Properties given over to holiday lets and second homes are underused and often empty.
“The consequent decline in an area’s permanent population renders local schools and services unviable, all the while local people are priced out of the areas that they grew up in and have little choice but to move away, taking with them the very fabric of the community.”
CEO Michael Hill said: “We have had a tremendously positive reaction to our campaign.
“This open letter shows the depth and breadth of feeling within Cumbria and beyond.
“We urge the Minister to move quickly to disincentivise the transfer of residential properties into short-term lets or second homes and bring underused properties back onto the housing market.”
Louise Dunn, Keswick mayor, added: “Communities in the national park need meaningful action from the authorities to find homes for people living here permanently and to deal with the particular issues we face related to housing.
“We need a licensing system for holiday lets to provide a mechanism to reduce how many there are in particular areas and stop nuisance behaviour and we need to tax holiday lets appropriately.”
