I am not in favour of this proposal of another short-term rental in Sandy Bay village, which is generally a family oriented environment with long-term residents, families with children of all ages, young people, working and retired folk.
The residents who enjoy the amenities of 'village' life contribute to a supportive and caring neighborhood with people looking after each other, offering help with shopping and gardening, sharing garden produce, having a chat over the fence and generally enjoying the friendship of people living nearby. The benefits of a supportive community is well known (particularly for elderly and young families).
Relationships Australia's Neighbour Day (held this week), encourages people to build respectful and sustainable relationships within their communities, which leads to increased feeling of social connection and belonging and reduced feelings of loneliness. Research has shown loneliness can increase the risk of early death as much or more than other factors (diet, obesity, alcohol...) because it severely damages the body's immune system as well as mental health. (See Mercury article 27 Mar 2023)
There are already a number of short-term rentals in the village which undermine the sense of community as they do not contribute to social connection and have no neighborhood engagement. Increasing the number of short-term rentals, even by one adds the feeling of disconnectedness and is in direct contrast to the supportive communities we should be aiming to grow.
