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.
