13th November 2025
The Highland Council is taking a significant step forward in addressing the region's housing needs and unlocking development potential by progressing plans to establish three to four Masterplan Consent Areas (MCAs) across Highland.
MCAs are a legal planning tool that enable advance consent for large development sites, significantly reducing the time it takes to deliver housing and infrastructure.
At today's meeting of the council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Members endorsed the use of MCA’s in implementing the recommendations set out in the Highland Housing Challenge Partnership Action Plan, reaffirming the Council’s ambition to deliver 24,000 new homes over the next decade
Chair of the Environment & Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans said: "This is a decisive step forward in our commitment to tackle housing pressures and support economic growth across the region. Masterplan Consent Areas will allow us to respond more quickly to economic opportunities and housing pressures, while ensuring communities are actively involved in shaping development from the outset. It’s a streamlined yet more inclusive way to plan for Highland’s future."
Following detailed assessment and the discussions today, the committee will recommend the "long-list" of potential Masterplan Consent Areas with an agreement to progress sites at Essich Road, Embo and Ardersier.
In addition, the Committee will recommend that the Council agreed to identify a fourth MCA site on the west coast, in proximity to Kishorn Yard, to support ongoing investment and respond to local housing demand.
The MCA approach offers a faster, more coordinated planning process, with five key decision points where Members can influence or amend proposals. It also strengthens local democracy by giving communities and elected Members a greater role in shaping development relative to the conventional planning application process where local parties can only react to what developers submit to them.
The Council’s Planning team will now begin the next phase of work, consultation with communities, landowners and agencies. If successful, the MCA model could be expanded to other housing and development opportunities across Highland.
What is a Masterplan Consent Area?
An MCA is an optional legal power introduced by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and available since December 2024 to allow a local council to accelerate the delivery of development. An MCA "Scheme" if made, establishes the principle of development on the site and grants planning permission for specified types and forms of development within a specified area.
The quicker delivery is relative to the conventional and typical approach of a developer seeking a local development plan allocation and then if successful progressing a planning permission in principle followed by a Matters Specified in Conditions or further planning application. An MCA Scheme would also likely incorporate a standardised legal agreement further to streamline the process. The input of consultees, communities, councillors, landowners and developers is still maintained but needs to be earlier and more targeted than in the current conventional processes. Scottish Government appointed Reporters are not involved in the MCA process whereas they have two inputs in the new local development plan process.
The Council has the final say (subject to a Scottish Ministers’ power of veto and potential judicial review) on local representations.
The process and consultation procedures for MCAs, as set out in the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, were described in the report to Committee in May 2024 (Item 6).