The atmosphere at The Highland Council's Housing Challenge Summit was buoyant as representatives from The Highland Council, Scottish Government, housebuilders, the energy sector including SSEN Transmission and business came together in Aviemore to address the housing challenge in the Highlands.
The Chair of the Council's Housing and Property Committee, Councillor Glynis Campbell Sinclair, announced that the anticipated demand for new housing in the Highlands over the next 10 years at 24,000 homes – double the current output. Recognising that working with partners to attract investment and deliver a range of solutions, the Council announced practical commitments designed to support the process:
- The Council is taking early action by announcing the Call for Sites for the Highland Local Development plan before the end of the year – 6 months ahead of time.
- The Council will utilise Masterplan Consent Areas ("MCAs") to enable direct delivery of the Green Freeport and address future housing needs. MCAs will provide an alternative mechanism for masterplanning and securing planning consent for development – secondary legislation is expected to come into force at the end of this week (w/c 2 December 2024).
- The Council launched its 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.
- Finally, the Council made the commitment to repay £6 million into the Housing Landbank Fund to assist in the delivery of more affordable housing throughout the Highlands as part of the budget setting process for 2025/26.
SSEN Transmission were also in attendance and made their own announcement in support of the Housing Challenge and their own new Housing Strategy which forms part of SSEN Transmission's Pathway to 2030 programme: a pledge to support the delivery of more than 1,000 new homes across the north of Scotland by 2040.
SSEN Transmission's Pathway to 2030 programme is a £20 billion investment to upgrade the transmission network in the north of Scotland. Recognising that workers' accommodation will be required to deliver the proposed projects, SSEN Transmission's intention is to leave behind a legacy in the local communities that will support its workforce by leaving behind housing that will support local need when the projects are completed.
All in all, it was an exciting day of announcements – discussion around our table was positive – noting the undoubtedly positive commitments from the Highland Council, and the existing opportunities created by SSEN Transmission's pledge. It's particularly worth noting that the notion of in person meetings with senior officials to unlock planning uses created particular buzz – proving (if it needed proving) that there's no substitute to getting round the table to efficiently work through issues! In a difficult landscape, sometimes the simple solutions can make the biggest impact.
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Legal Director