Albany short-stay accommodation manager Stacey Murnane hits out at proposed City of Albany rule changes

An Albany accommodation manager has hit out at proposed changes to the City of Albany’s short-term accommodation rules, saying they ignore the needs of visiting workers. The City’s draft short-term accommodation policy aims to concentrate future holiday properties in popular tourism zones and limit applications in bushfire prone areas. It is set to replace the City’s existing holiday accommodation and bed and breakfast policies “to ensure short-term accommodation is appropriately managed and minimises adverse amenity impacts on neighbouring properties”. The draft policy, open for public comment until September 6, excludes personal holiday homes, hotels, motels, chalets and caravan parks. It would create a “designated short-term accommodation area” to encourage future short-term accommodation “in appropriate locations that enhance the tourism experience and minimise vulnerability to natural hazards”. Great Southern Stays owner Stacey Murnane, who manages 30 short-stay accommodation properties across the region, said local operators had not been consulted on the proposal. She said the draft policy did not reflect the diverse use of short-stay accommodation in Albany and was a “blanket copy and paste” from the City of Busselton’s legislation. “(Short-term accommodation) provides accommodation for a different type of traveller, and not necessarily the holidaymaker,” she said. “The changes in legislation are solely focused on Airbnbs and short-term accommodation being for a holiday purpose, whereas it has gone beyond that now.” Ms Murnane said workers coming to the region, including those contracted by the City of Albany, made up 30 per cent of her bookings. “I have recently got all the contractors for Decmil who are here doing all the roadworks for the Albany Ring Road and they are looking for houses,” she said. “They are not here long-term, they can’t afford to be here paying hotel rates every single night for 20-40 people, so they are looking for the next best option — which is short-stay accommodation.” Under the changes, short-term accommodation properties outside of the designated area could be approved on a case-by-case basis but must address a range of factors. Little Grove and Goode Beach — which currently fall in the City’s “preferred areas for holiday accommodation” — would be excluded due to their heightened bushfire risk. Areas that fall within the proposed designated area include the Albany CBD, Middleton Beach, Mira Mar, Centennial Park, Seppings and parts of Emu Point, Collingwood Park and Mt Melville. Ms Murnane said bushfire risks in Little Grove and Goode Beach should not limit applications for properties in those areas. “The road issue of being one road in and one road out is a council issue — it should be put back on them as to why it is ok for residents to live there long-term but it is not ok for guests,” she said. “They are not using the space any differently.” City planning and building manager Jan Van Der Mescht said the proposed changes would not affect existing approved short-term accommodation. “Most of the changes are required to reflect recent changes to the State’s bushfire planning guidelines and acknowledging bushfire risks in certain areas,” he said. Figures from website Inside Airbnb last month showed there were 300 Airbnb listings in Albany and only 22 vacant rentals. Across WA there were nearly 10,000 properties listed on Airbnb — about three times the number of available rentals. In December, the State Government unveiled a draft planning policy that would force Airbnb owners to place their homes on a State-wide register and require them to apply to their local council for permission to lease the properties for more than 60 nights a year. The State Government’s proposed rules were slammed by Airbnb and Stayz for being among the toughest in Australia. Speaking last month, Mr Van Der Mescht said the City acknowledged the “significant role tourism plays in the local economy” but was also aware each approved holiday house “takes a long-term accommodation offering off the market’. “The short-term accommodation policy aims to help address these conflicting requirements by facilitating holiday accommodation offerings in areas of high tourism value, while ensuring key suburban areas are retained for residential purposes,” he said.