Council Reaffirms Support For Scotland's Housing Expo
26th May 2010
1st - 31st August At Inverness - Scotland First Housing Expo
Over 50 New Houses - See The Competition Winners All Building Now
The Highland Council has reaffirmed its continued support for Scotland's Housing Expo which will take place throughout the month of August at Milton of Leys, in Inverness.
Members of the Planning, Environment and Development Committee on Wednesday 26 May 2010 agreed to underwrite the event up to a maximum of £100,000 to provide resources for the Board until ticket sales and all sponsorship funding is received.
30,000 visitors are expected to attend the Expo which is the first of its kind in the UK.
Chairman of the Committee, Councillor Ian Ross said: "The Council has been an active promoter and supporter of the Housing Expo since its inception. It is a very important event which will put the Highlands on the national and international stage when it comes to showcasing innovative modern low energy housing designs and stimulating the wider use of sustainable local timber and other Highland materials. An enormous amount of work has already been achieved and from now until the event opens in August the whole site will be a flurry of activity. As a council we fully support the project and the creativity and aspirations it will stimulate. I encourage as many people as possible to take this unique opportunity to come along and enjoy the experience."
After a national design competition, 25 winning entries were chosen to be developed on site. These and a further 27 new houses and gardens will be open to the public. Themed lectures and workshops will run and there will be special activities and events for the whole family to take part in. At the end of the Expo the 8 private developer houses will be for sale while 20 of the affordable homes will be handed over to Albyn and Cairn Housing Association. The remaining 24 homes are being built for the Highland Housing Alliance.
Councillor Jean Urquhart, Chair of the Board welcomed the council support. She said: "It was a bold and not without risk decision to create the event, which has never happened before in the UK. A great deal of interest is getting generated and I sincerely believe it will shape the way ahead for future housing development. The £100K provided to us now should be seen very much as a short-term loan as I am certain the Expo will prove to be a popular success."
See the Housing Expo Web site at www.scotlandshousingexpo.com
Related Businesses
Related Articles
The Highland Council has been making good progress with paying out grants on behalf of the Scottish Government's COVID-19 Business Hardship Fund. Since applications opened on 20th October 2020.
Highland Council Members approve response to Scottish Government's proposals for the regulation of short-term lets in Scotland. Members at yesterday's meeting of Highland Council homologated its response to the Scottish Government's consultation on the proposals for the regulation of short-term lets in Scotland.
Fiona Duncan has been appointed by The Highland Council as Executive Chief Officer for Health and Social Care, taking over from Fiona Malcolm who has been undertaking the Interim ECO role since early September. Ms Duncan is due to take up the position in January 2021.
At today's meeting of The Highland Council members gave their backing to a motion that highlights the need for the UK Government to review the sick pay system and reform it as a matter of urgency. Councillor Alasdair Christie, Chair of the Council's Recovery Board who put forward the motion along with Councillor Alex Graham said: "It has become more obvious than ever during the current Covid 19 crisis that there are clear and substantial long-standing inadequacies in the sick pay system.
REGIONAL Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has welcomed a commitment from Highland Council to return all schools to a hot meal service. In a letter to the MSP this week, the local authority confirmed more than 60 per cent of schools have gone back to serving hot meals already and it said all schools are expected to follow suit "shortly".
The Leader and the Chief Executive of The Highland Council earlier today took part in a meeting of COSLA focussing on the Scottish Government's new five level protection system for Covid. The meeting gave council leaders the opportunity to examine in more detail the mechanism outlined by the Scottish Government along with the framework of how the tier system will be implemented.
Following its launch on Tuesday 20th October 2020, Highland Council has received and paid out the first Business Hardship Fund grants. As part of the Scottish Government's response to the COVID-19 Brake Restrictions which came into effect on 9 October, the Council has been asked to deliver this grant scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government.
Highland Council Trading Standards are keen to raise awareness of the role of The Small Business Financial Ombudsman Service in resolving disputes between small and medium sized businesses (SME's) and financial service providers which include banks, insurance and money lending businesses. David MacKenzie, Highland Council Trading Standards Manager explains: "We realise the financial struggle that some SME's have had recently because of Covid 19 restrictions.
At the Caithness Area Committee on 22 October 2020 members unanimously confirmed their full support to the business case for Wick John O'Groats Airport to receive Public Service Obligation (PSO) status by putting forward a motion and reinforcing their commitment to working with stakeholders and partners to deliver this as a matter of urgency. The motion lodged recognises the fundamental strategic importance of Wick John O’Groats Airport to the economy of the region, and the energy, business and tourism sectors in particular.
Members of the Caithness Committee have identified fuel poverty as their number one concern and are pleased to announce that the member-led capital housing budget has increased to 10% as they welcome £2,253,000 of investment which will be used to carry out improvements to the housing stock across the county. A specific priority of the capital programme is improving heating and make homes more energy efficient, with over £1,300,000 of budget approved to replace the oldest and most inefficient heating systems with a further £150,000 for one-off heating replacements.
