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A renowned for its award-winning whiskey was once but now streams of visitors flock to the area every year. Known as the "Gateway to the Isles," Oban is a hub for ferry travel to various Scottish islands and was named Scotland's town of the year in 2024 by the Scotland Loves Local initiative for its "vibrant" cultural scene and community ethos.

Famed for its fresh seafood, earning it the title of "Seafood Capital of Scotland" the town's 8,000 population can swell up to over 24,000 people during the summer months. And the resort town's market is becoming more and more flooded with second-home owners looking for a relaxing haven away from the hustle and bustle. The area has 224 registered and over 1,000 AirBnBs.

Despite Argyll and Bute Council introducing a 100% council tax premium on second homes last year, doubling council tax costs, the council is still set to receive "in the region of 10-20 new applications each month". A report from Argyll and Bute council in December said Oban "has a significant short-term let sector".

Now locals of the scenic Oban have had enough of their area being at risk of becoming overrun with second home owners. Locals are reportedly unable to do simple tasks like booking a dentist appointment.

John Cuthbertson, manager of local grocery shop Food, told the dentists are unable to open surgeries in the town as "there's no flats to rent".

He said: "The dentist surgeries have been trying to get dentists to come here but there's no accommodation for them, there's no flats to rent."

The problem is looking increasingly dire as the mounting accommodation problems means there is also no room for teachers, doctors and nurses due to the mounting number of second homes.

Local Wendy Kitson said: "As far as I know, in Oban there's no NHS dentist appointments available."

In 2023, Argyll and Bute Council became the first local authority in Scotland to declare a housing emergency, with demand for affordable housing exceeding supply.

The council has since been working on various initiatives to address the housing emergency, including a buyback scheme for affordable housing properties, surveys to assess the impacts of the housing shortage, and a Housing Emergency Summit to identify potential solutions.