Edinburgh locals say party goers turning 'Instagrammable street' into 'nightmare'

Edinburgh locals living on the city's most 'Instagrammable street' have hit out at a neighbour who rents him home out on AirBnB - despite pleas from the council to stop.

On Monday the owner of No.33 Circus Lane, Robert Murray was served with an enforcement notice and told to stop taking bookings after failing to comply with the decision issued by planners last May, which found it was ‘unacceptable’ for the Circus Lane flat to be used as a short-term let (STL).

Now a probe has found the owner ignored this decision – and has continued to take bookings through Airbnb for nearly 12 months after the property was found listed on the booking site as a 'charming mews apartment'.

READ MORE: Edinburgh man assaulted by 'gang of five' in broad daylight in Charlotte Square

READ MORE: Edinburgh family pay tribute to 'kind and caring man' murdered by father and son

Residents living on the tourist-heavy street spoke to Edinburgh Live about what it's like to live with photoshoots occurring on their doorsteps, countless tourists passing, and even weddings romantically springing up almost every day.

Earl Laks, a resident of the street for a year, said: "I think most Airbnb users don't care, they tend to be a bit noisier and show up in party mode. On occasion, the visitors get a bit loud coming down the street.

"After we moved here, we wanted to be part of the amazing array of garden boxes laid out and we did that but in my experience the Airbnb owners do not do that and there is a number of them who don't put in the effort to be part of the unique environment that is already here.

"I'd like this to be more of a residential neighbourhood but there are a number of homes that I know of that are applying to become short-term lets. I think there are laws for a reason and it is disappointing that a property's owner so close to me is going against the council as I've lived next to short-term lets in the past and it was a nightmare."

Mr Laks isn't the only local of the lane who wants more of a family environment, with a number of residents expressing their unhappiness about over-enthusiastic social media wannabes.

Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox

Retiree, Liz, who wishes to only go by her first name, has lived on the street for all of her life and sadly believes one day there will be no permanent residents on the street.

She said: "There have been a lot of the houses that have been converted, and as time has gone on they have been purchased as investment properties as the street is very popular and is becoming commercial and also less residential.

"The street is so busy and as someone living on the street, it is a complete nightmare. The amount of time that I have come out of my front door and there would be a photo shoot with people asking me to wait until they are finished.

"The long-term residents that are still here are lovely and they don't want to leave and it is sad to see them leave but the private gardens in the back can be a lifesaver. It used to have a friendly vibe and a community feel along with the events and we all knew each other.

Liz then went on to speak about her neighbour on the street flouting the rules, she said: "I suppose everyone who does have an investment has to realise that investment but not at the detriment of the permanent residents.

"Let's be honest, if you are coming to this area for a few days, those people are coming for a party and when you have a whole group of women or a group of men, they are going to be noisy."

Following the introduction of the new rules Mr Murray applied for a retrospective change of use of the two-bedroom home in October 2022.

In an objection, a neighbour said there was “disturbance caused to me when short-term guests have parties”. They said: “This has happened quite a lot in the last few years and the noise is an issue in my flat, which is just at the back of the premises.”

After reviewing plans, officials refused the bid and said it would have an “unacceptable impact on neighbouring amenity” and that the loss of residential accommodation had not been justified in plans put to the council.

Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.

A report said: “Three-night minimum stays … results in a significant number of changeovers in a year.

“This is materially different to how the property would be used as a principal home with an individual or family residing in it on a permanent basis. The intensity of the use is reflected in the Airbnb listing which details 276 reviews to date.

"This level of activity demonstrates that the property is being used for short term visitors in a materially different way to its lawful residential use.”