A move to set up a “good neighbour” voluntary code of practice to address noise and anti-social behaviour issues brought on by the increase of unmanaged holiday lets in Keswick has been welcomed by the town council.
Cllr Louise Dunn initially raised the idea at the annual meeting and told last Thursday night’s meeting that the scheme should be funded by the property owners and letting agencies that had offices in the town.
She said the system would set an expectation that owners and letting agencies are fully accountable for the proactive management of anti-social behaviour of their holiday customers.
“It would also provide neighbours with the assurance of a central reporting system which would ensure swift resolution of incidents and ongoing monitoring to identify problem areas,” she said.
Cllr Dunn said that there was now a larger proportion of holiday cottages in residential areas of the town and less management of those properties because the owners live elsewhere and agencies have been sold to national chains.
This had resulted in a raft of problems such as noise, anti-social behaviour, inconsiderate parking, garden maintenance issues and pets being left in houses and barking for hours on end.
She said that when complaints are currently made by a neighbour the holiday cottage agency is likely to respond by saying: “There is nothing we can do really,” and the owner is often difficult to trace and when contacted will say: “I will call the agency.”
A call to the council is met with: “We don’t regulate holiday cottages” and a suggestion that the neighbour call the police. The police then say: “There is nothing we can do unless they have physically threatened you” and then suggest putting a call in to the council.
Cllr Dunn said prevention measures could include writing the property description to deter ‘party house’ occupants using phrases such as “in a quiet residential area” and “no hen nights/stag nights/party groups accepted”.
She said owners needed to think about how their property is set up with hot tub timers adjusted to avoid post pub closing usage and consideration around outdoor sound systems and whether garden lighting draws people outside at night. There should also be clear guidance for holidaymakers in the property, she said, with contract terms including a noise/nuisance clause.
Cllr Dunn said owners must be proactive and accountable and should speak with neighbours and discuss problem areas. Holiday cottage agencies should take neighbours’ concerns and complaints seriously while a reporting system should be set up to track issues across Keswick with problem properties highlighted to the authorities.
Neighbours should also keep a log of disturbances and report issues in writing to the letting agency and owner.
She said regulation could include the introduction of a fine system via payment cards with proceeds to local charities and the setting up of a council licensing system that controls numbers and removes licences from properties with persistent issues.
Cllr Dunn said owners, agencies, neighbours and holidaymakers would all benefit and the visitor experience would be improved.
Cllr Sally Lansbury said one possible way forward was to “take it through” the Tactical Visitor Management Group, the Lake District National Park Authority and Keswick Town Council’s visitor management group as that would get “the right tendrils out to the right places”.
Peter Walter, the new chairman of Keswick Tourism Association (KTA), said he was very much behind the code of practice and would support it through sharing with the group’s membership and 25,000 social media followers.
The next steps towards formulating the code of practice will be a town council discussion on the proposal; a town survey to assess the problem; a town consultation, contact with KTA and contact with Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron who has been involved in other campaigns on holiday homes and finally a forum with holiday cottage companies/owners.
