Highland Local Development Plan - Have Your Say
4th February 2025
The Highland Council is preparing a new and important planning document called the Highland Local Development Plan.
The plan will ultimately be used to determine planning applications and steer future development and investment in your area. Three documents have just been published which will shape the plan and Highland's future.
First, we are inviting new development site suggestions to be considered for inclusion in the new plan.
Speaking about the Call For Development Sites, Chair of the Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans said: "This is an important part of the evidence consultation and feedback is particularly encouraged from landowners, developers and communities that have land or building opportunities that they wish to promote for housing, industry or mixed-use development."
Nominated sites will need to be accompanied by sufficient supporting evidence in order to be fairly assessed. The Council will also be considering options for where Masterplan Consent Areas could be prepared.
Second, we seek views on the evidence we've collated so far to inform preparation of the new plan. Scotland's revised planning system now requires each council to prove the sufficiency and assess the implications of its evidence before preparing a plan for its area. Our Evidence Papers are now available for comment. We are asking if we've missed anything relevant and for views on the implications of that evidence.
Finally, we have published our 2025 Development Plans Newsletter which provides more detail on how and when we will consult and engage on the new plan.
Councillor Gowans added: "The approach we are taking in preparing a new single LDP for Highland is very much a collaborative one. We are encouraging the public, stakeholders, and organisations to provide us with their input and have a say on what evidence they think we should use before we get in to drafting the Plan itself."
"We want to engage people on the issues facing Highland communities right now so we can create a single strong, place based, people-focused and deliverable Local Development Plan that captures the distinct issues and priorities across our communities. I hope as many people as possible take up this invitation to get involved and help to shape the new Highland Local Development Plan."
Feedback from the consultation will help the Council prepare an ‘Evidence Report', which will be submitted for independent review later in 2025, before a draft plan is prepared.
Take part here
Related Businesses
Related Articles
As part of the Highland Council's celebration of Refugee Week - 16 to 22 June - we are delighted to announce that a sharing of photographs, taken by separated young people seeking asylum living within the Highlands, is to be shown at Eden Court Arts Centre, Inverness. Look to See, which ties in with the theme for this year’s Refugee Week - Community as a Superpower - emerges out of a collaboration between multiple agencies working alongside separated young people seeking asylum, embodying the importance of community and connection, when looking to support all young people in the Highlands.
The annual Highland Youth Parliament (HYP) conference will take place at Inverness Leisure and Canal Park, Inverness on Friday (13th June 2025). Highland young people are focusing on future youth voices and what they would like a future Highland to look like.
Highland Opportunity (Investments) Limited, HOIL has recently provided Sgùrr Access and Marine Services Limited with loan assistance towards their start-up costs for a new business venture based in Kyle of Lochalsh. HOIL, The Highland Council's business loan company offers loan support to Highland based businesses and community organisations, who can benefit from straightforward loan conditions and a tailored offer to support their project.
Garden Waste Permits from Highland Council are now available for the 2025/26 season. To support continued garden waste recycling, the price for the upcoming 2025/26 permit will remain unchanged at £48.95 per permit, the same as last year.
All eligible young people are being encouraged to apply for a weekly, term time allowance of £30 per week from August 2025. The Highland Council administers Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in respect of eligible young people from across its 29 secondary schools.
Legislation has been amended to ensure veterans who receive a payment from the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme do not lose out on council tax support. More than 1,200 people in Scotland who served under and suffered from the ban on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) personnel serving in HM Armed Forces between 1967 and 2000 have applied to the UK Government for compensation so far.
At the Education Committee of Highland Council on Wednesday 4 June, Members were presented with the Integrated Children Services Plan Annual Report 2024/25. The Integrated Children's Service’s work continues as it enters the 3rd year of the delivery of the Integrated Children’s Service Plan.
The Highland Council, Education Committee met today (Wednesday 4 June 2025) and received a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the Education and Learning Service. It included positive school leaver destinations and an update on the refreshed attainment strategy and the Education and Learning management restructure.
Tha comhairlichean Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd air fàilte a chur air an obair ionmholta a thathar a' dèanamh gus cothroman a leudachadh do luchd-ionnsachaidh òga na Gàidhlig. Aig coinneamh Chomataidh na Gàidhlig an-diugh (Diciadain 4 Ògmhios) chaidh an obair leasachaidh a thathar a’ dèanamh aig Bun-Sgoil Bhaile an Fhraoich ann an Inbhir Nis a chomharrachadh mar dheagh eisimpleir de bhith a’ cruthachadh "spiorad mhath is ion-ghabhaltach airson na Gàidhlig thar na sgoile".
Highland Council's dedicated road marking team has been fully mobilised to carry out road marking across the Highland region. Finally after many years of depending on contractors from the south a Highland council team will be able to get on with the work regularly as weather allows.
