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…the blog and website of Andy Wightman

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Why Scotland should Stop Selling Carbon

Posted on November 6, 2023November 6, 2023 by Andy Wightman

In this blog I hope to crystallise my thoughts on some of the reasons why current Scottish Government policy on carbon markets is flawed and undermines efforts to tackle climate change. This is a very brief overview and assumes some

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Climate, Environment, Land Use
11 comments

Plaques, Proprietors and Permissions. Who governs the Melville Monument?

Posted on October 9, 2023October 9, 2023 by Andy Wightman

The Melville Monument in St Andrew Square in Edinburgh stands 152 foot-high and with a statue on top of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. (1) The monument was constructed between 1821 and 1823 and the statue was added in 1827.

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Culture & History, Democracy, Edinburgh, Governance, Urban, Who Owns Scotland

Scottish Ministers refused consent for short-term lets

Posted on October 4, 2023October 4, 2023 by Andy Wightman

On 8 January 2020, the then Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart, made a statement to Parliament announcing the Government’s proposals for the regulation of short-term lets. I had been campaigning on this topic alongside other MSPs such as Kezia Dugdale for

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Edinburgh, Planning, Politics, Urban

Short-term lets – the case of mountaineering club huts

Posted on September 24, 2023September 24, 2023 by Andy Wightman

There has been much discussion in mountaineering club circles as to whether the operators of mountaineering club huts will need to apply for a short-term let (STL) license under the The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets)

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Environment, Huts, gardens & urban greesnspace, Legal affairs

Short-term Lets – the confusing case of house swaps.

Posted on September 20, 2023September 20, 2023 by Andy Wightman

In my previous blog I discussed whether the new short-term licensing regime covers house swaps and house sitting. House swaps are where two parties agree to swap their home for a period of time (usually for a holiday). House sitting

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Housing, Legal affairs, Politics, Urban
8 comments

Short-term Lets – do house swaps and house-sitting require a license?

Posted on September 5, 2023September 5, 2023 by Andy Wightman

The Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 (Licensing of Short-term Lets) Order 2022 obliges hosts and operators of short-term let accommodation to obtain a license in order to continue to be able to trade legally. Excluded from the this requirement is

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Housing, Legal affairs, Politics, Urban
6 comments

Short-term lets. What is all the fuss about?

Posted on August 30, 2023August 31, 2023 by Andy Wightman

There has been quite a stooshie about new short-term letting (STL) regulations. The deadline for applying for an STL license is 1 October 2023 (having been extended for 6 months from 1 April 2023). What is going on? Background I

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Edinburgh, Housing, Land Use, Planning, Urban
19 comments

Public Opinion of Forestry Survey 2023

Posted on July 13, 2023July 13, 2023 by Andy Wightman

The biennial survey of public opinion about forestry has been published today. The Government is apparently pleased with what the public have to say but reading the actual results, they should, instead be rather concerned. Let’s start with the statistic

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Uncategorized

Who Owns the Palace of Holyroodhouse (part 2) – the Strange Case of Abbey Strand

Posted on July 7, 2023July 7, 2023 by Andy Wightman

At the foot of the Canongate is the short Abbey Strand which ends at the gates of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. On the north side is a historic set of buildings dating from 1490 which have been used for many

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Edinburgh, History, Land Registration, Who Owns Scotland
18 comments

Who Owns the Palace of Holyroodhouse? (part 1)

Posted on July 6, 2023July 7, 2023 by Andy Wightman

This blog is the first of two to examine the ownership of the Palace of Holyroodhouse and associated buildings. Tomorrow I shall publish the even stranger story of the buildings on the north side of the Abbey Strand. In July

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Governance, Land Registration, Uncategorized, Who Owns Scotland
13 comments

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