A short-term let on Jesmond Dene Road has been forced to close after Newcastle City Council found it was operating without the required planning permission.

The council issued an enforcement notice for the property on Jesmond Dene Road in October 2024 after its use had changed from a residential home to short-term accommodation. The notice required the owner to “cease the use of the property as a short-term let” within three months. The property was no longer listed on Airbnb at the time of writing.

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson told JesmondLocal: “We cannot give a running commentary on individual planning issues. Where we are made aware of breaches in planning policy, we will always seek to investigate and consider what action is appropriate in line with the council’s planning enforcement protocol.”

Jesmond Residents Association (JRA) became aware of the property following reports of disturbances affecting people living nearby. Nils Clemmetsen, secretary of the JRA, said: “We were aware of that particular property and the ways it seemed to be operating, but that seemed to be a one-off in Jesmond as far as we were aware.”

At the time of our reporting, around 30 entire properties and 11 individual rooms were listed on Airbnb in Jesmond and surrounding areas. Clemmetsen said he “didn’t get the impression there were many Airbnbs and short-term lets available in our area”, with visitors tending to gravitate towards the city centre.

Screenshot of Airbnb listings in Jesmond, taken on 11/01/25.

The case comes amid wider debate about how short-term lets should be regulated. Before the 2024 general election, the previous government proposed changes to planning rules in England which would have introduced a new use class for short-term lets.

The proposals followed concerns about the impact of short-term lets on local communities and the availability of housing. They were not implemented before the change of government. Planning rules had previously been changed in 2010 to introduce a separate classification for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

According to the 2021 Census, 22.1% of people in the former Newcastle upon Tyne North constituency rented from private landlords, compared with a national average of 19.5%. At the time of writing, the Airbnb listing had been removed and the property had ceased operating as a short-term let. Its future use was unclear.