Economy And Infrastructure Committee Approves Delivery Programme To Enable Development Across Inner Moray Firth And Wider Highland
23rd August 2024
On Thursday 22 August 2024, The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee agreed how, when and where it will enable delivery of development across Highland with the approval and adoption of the Local Development Plan Delivery Programme for IMFLDP2.
As in the report recommendations, the committee agree to consult more widely on a draft Highland Delivery Programme. This will in future will be vetted by Full Council and become the principal corporate and cross agency tool for the spatial coordination of investment in Highland.
Chair of the Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans said: "Growth is welcome but has impacts which need to be offset by new investment particularly in infrastructure capacity such as schools and transport. That investment is coordinated by a document called a Delivery Programme. It makes transparent for communities, the development industry, infrastructure providers, and the Council, what investment is needed to support new development."
"The support from the Committee today means that we can move forward and use the Delivery Programme as a mechanism to secure funding and aid coordination of other funding opportunities to deliver essential infrastructure and services. Proper place-based coordination of investment in Highland will make the public, and private, pound go further."
The next stage is to launch a consultation on the Highland Delivery Programme. It has already been reviewed with input from a number of infrastructure partners but will now go out to wider consultation including with local community groups.
Councillor Gowans added: "This consultation, will allow consideration of wider views on the proposed actions for delivering development."
A further report to Committee in early 2025 will provide feedback from the consultation and suggested next steps.
Read the report and Delivery Programme HERE
Related Businesses
Related Articles
At the Education Committee today (Thursday 12 September 2024) Members agreed to the recommendation to transfer Youth Work and Adult Learning to the Council from High Life Highland' The final contract review report will come to the Committee in November 2024 for consideration. The benefits arising from the transfer are set out in detail within the report which stresses the intention to build upon the strong foundations that High Life Highland has established for Adult Education and Youth Work across Highland.
The Education Committee met today (Thursday 12 September 2024) and agreed the Community Learning and Development Plan 2024-2027. Community Learning and Development (CLD) plays an important role in ensuring individuals, families and communities reach their potential, through lifelong learning, mutual self-help and community organisation, ensuring support and opportunities are community-led and built around people's individual and collective aspirations.
Specialist expertise will be utilised to help boost development and green energy opportunities in Scotland. The Planning Hub will support planning authorities to improve their resourcing, skills and capacity to deliver planning determinations promptly.
A process for responding to community requests for the creation of Firework Control Zones in The Highland Council area has been approved by Members of the Communities and Place Committee. The option of using a Firework Control Zone is one of the tools available to respond to serious firework misuse and the Council will work with communities and key partners to consider appropriate and proportional response to local firework issues.
The Highland Council is reaching an important milestone in the preparation of introducing a visitor levy in Highland. Following an extensive consultation in 2019 - in which 6,600 residents, businesses and visitors responded.
The Highland Strategic Local Action Group who met during August, considered, and agreed funding for 49 projects submitted to the Community Led Local Development fund (CLLD), which makes up part of The Highland Council Community Regeneration Funding (CRF) programme. Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans, said: "It is the third year in a row that we have been successful in securing a large allocation of CLLD funding from the Scottish Government.
Fiona Duncan, Fiona Grant, Fiona Malcolm, Alison Clark and Finlay MacDonald have been appointed as Chief Officers with The Highland Council. Convener of the Council Cllr Bill Lobban said: "Congratulations to all three Fiona's, Alison and Finlay on their appointments to Chief Officers.
The Highland Council welcomes the positive Care Inspectorate Inspection report following a recent unannounced inspection visit to Pennyland ELC, Thurso. Following the inspection, Pennyland ELC received the following: How good is our care, play and learning? - 5 Very Good How good is our setting? - 5 Very Good How good is our leadership? - 5 Very Good How good is our staff team - 5 Very Good.
The Highland Council's Climate Change Committee has approved this week a report outlining the Council's commitment to aligning its operations with the Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill. The report highlights the positive impact of the circular economy on reducing waste, promoting resource efficiency, and contributing to the Council’s ambitious net zero emissions targets.
Communication improvements within the housing service has helped to reduce the time taken to complete repairs over the past two years. A performance report to the Council's Housing and Property Committee presented quarterly data which charted its continued improvement from 2022/23.