The council declared a Housing Challenge in November 2023 and followed that up in June this year with a number of strategic objectives being agreed to help tackle it.

Yesterday’s Housing Challenge Summit brought national and local government together with private sector interests from energy, housing development and commerce to focus on the situation.

Speaking after the Summit, chair of the Housing and Property Committee, Cllr Glynis Campbell Sinclair, said: “The challenge is to double our current housing supply and accelerate the delivery of both public and private housing and the availability of sites across Highland. Today, we are giving our commitment to seizing the opportunities to work with partners to attract investment and undertake a range of solutions to address the housing shortage in Highland.

“As a key tool for addressing the Housing Challenge and understanding future housing and employment needs, we’re taking early action by announcing the launch of a ‘Call for Sites’ for the Highland Local Development Plan by the end of 2024. This is some six months ahead of when it was originally intended to. Developers and landowners across the Highlands are encouraged to start preparing their submissions, and a template that will be used to submit sites will be available shortly on the council’s website.”  

Building on its recently adopted Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan, the council has agreed how it intends to utilise Masterplan Consent Areas to enable the direct delivery of the Green Freeport and address future housing needs.

Masterplan Consent Areas, or MCAs, will provide an alternative mechanism for masterplanning and securing planning consent for development. With secondary legislation expected to come into force on December 5th, MCAs are seen as a key tool for addressing the Housing Challenge and can provide certainty for delivery and thereby streamline the delivery of new jobs and housing.

Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans, said: “As delivery partners working together, we ask for certainty on emerging jobs across the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF) and renewables projects. In return, we will be looking to find opportunities to prepare three MCAs over the next 18 months to accelerate direct delivery of jobs and homes in Highland. Some options have been identified already, but we’re open to investigating alternatives. The council will use legislation to its best effect whilst trying to balance housing need with community concerns.”

Cllr Gowans added: “Rural housing makes an important contribution to housing supply in Highland. A report is to be considered by our Economy and Infrastructure Committee in November that clarifies the critical role that rural housing plays in addressing the Housing Challenge, whilst ensuring that there is as much flexibility as possible for additional housing to be provided within housing groups.

“We recognise the need to ensure the process of reaching a planning decision on developments is a key hurdle. As a result, the council is to begin an Integrated Housing Delivery Service, where senior officials will be available to meet with major housing scheme applicants to discuss outstanding issues, with the intention of dealing with any blockages or technical issues that need to be overcome prior to a decision being recommended. This new service will provide appointments to resolve planning issues quickly and in line with legislation.”

Leader of the Highland Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner, added: “We are committed to repaying £6m into the Housing Landbank Fund to assist in the delivery of more affordable housing throughout the Highlands as part of its budget setting process for 2025/26. A report will be brought to council next week to seek agreement for this.”

He added: “We are committed to continue to work with renewable energy developers across the region as part of our Social Value from Renewables Charter, building on the progress made with SSEN today and leaving a lasting legacy of housing provision from the renewables revolution.”

Cllr Bremner concluded: “I would like to thank our private and public sector partners who have taken part in our housing summit and the positive commitments made by everyone towards resolving the housing challenge in Highland. It is only by collaboration and harnessing the collective energy and ambition we have seen today, that we can deliver the required investment in housing and build sustainable and thriving communities.”