5th November 2026
The Highland Council’s newly unveiled Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2027–2032 paints a glossy, optimistic picture of the region's future.
It promises a steady pipeline of 700 affordable homes a year, framed alongside a booming £10–£16 billion "Growth Deal" linked to green freeports and renewable energy expansion.
Yet, for thousands of residents currently caught in the teeth of the Highland housing crisis, this 20-year roadmap reads less like a lifeline and more like an exercise in political misdirection.
By focusing heavily on tomorrow’s corporate economic growth, the strategy systematically sidelines the acute, human emergency happening today: record-high homelessness.
The Strategy Inversion - Future Needs over Present Realities
The core flaw of the council's press release is its selective use of data. It prominently highlights an estimated requirement for 31,848 homes over the next two decades, heavily weighting its justification toward "workforce development" and "recruitment barriers" for employers.
While economic sustainability is vital, the immediate, bleeding edge of the crisis is practically invisible in their promotional material. There is no mention of the three-year high in homelessness currently overwhelming the region.
By treating housing primarily as an economic lubricant for future investment rather than a basic human right, the council’s narrative fundamentally detaches itself from reality.
The Mathrmatics of Inadequacy
The plan touts a target of delivering 700 affordable homes per year. Even under perfect conditions—assuming maximum funding and no construction delays—this target is a drop in the ocean when stacked against real-time demand.
Consider the stark juxtaposition of the council's self-congratulation against current metrics.
• The "Achievement": The council celebrates delivering 1,800 affordable homes over the past four years - an average of just 450 per year.
• The Immediate Backlog: Roughly 1,500 households register as homeless annually in the Highlands.
• The Temporary Holding Pattern: Close to 500 households are currently trapped in temporary accommodation, facing prolonged instability.
When your historical delivery rate sits at 450 homes a year, promising a future 700—while 10% of existing households report living in overcrowded conditions right now—is not an ambitious strategy. It is a mathematical admission of falling behind.
Corporate Ambition vs. Social Disregard
There is a troubling disparity in urgency between the council's corporate ambitions and its social responsibilities. When it comes to securing the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, the council moves with lightning speed to align with multi-billion-pound public and private investment.
Yet, when dealing with the human fallout of a broken private rental market—where relationship breakdowns and landlords exiting the market are driving vulnerable people onto the streets—the response is to schedule another "review of the Local Housing Strategy" over the course of 2027.
A strategy that plans for twenty years from now while failing to safely shelter its people today is a strategy built on sand. The Highland Council cannot build a thriving, sustainable community on top of an unaddressed homelessness crisis.
Until the SHIP and its accompanying Growth Deals redirect their immediate focus toward emergency housing, rapid rehousing, and drastically accelerating social lets, "Drummond View" and its matching modern suburban streets will remain a luxury backdrop for a select few, while the region’s most vulnerable are left entirely out in the cold.
4 November 2026
The full council release
Strategic Housing Investment Plan sets out plans to help meet housing demand
The Highland Council has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling the Highland housing challenge, setting out a long-term vision to increase housing supply, deliver affordable homes and ensure communities have the homes they need to support future economic growth.
A report to the Housing and Property Committee on Wednesday 4 November brings together three key pieces of work: the Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028, the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2027-2032 and the latest Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA).
Together, these provide a clear picture of current and future housing need across Highland and identify the action required to ensure people can access affordable, suitable homes in the places they want to live, work and study.
Housing and Property Committee Chair, Cllr Glynis Campbell-Sinclair, said: "Housing remains one of the biggest challenges facing Highland and is fundamental to sustaining communities, supporting economic growth and ensuring people can continue to live and work in the places they call home.
"Over the past four years, more than 1,800 affordable homes have been delivered across Highland through the Council, and our housing association partners of which Highland Housing Association (HHA) is one of our most successful partners in delivering homes. While this represents significant progress, the latest evidence shows that demand continues to outstrip supply.”
"The Housing Need and Demand Assessment estimates that around 31,848 homes will be required across Highland over the next 20 years. Meeting that need will require continued investment, strong partnerships and a collective focus on increasing housing supply across all tenures.
"Housing is about far more than building homes. It plays a vital role in tackling poverty, improving health and wellbeing, enabling independent living and supporting the workforce needed for Highland's future economic growth.
"Through our Strategic Housing Investment Plan, Local Housing Strategy and Highland Housing Challenge, we are working with partners to deliver more homes, bring empty properties back into use, attract investment and create thriving, sustainable communities across Highland."
Delivering homes across Highland
Over the last four years, the Council and its housing association partners have delivered more than 1,800 affordable homes across the region, with the majority delivered outside Inverness.
Key achievements include:
72% of affordable homes delivered outside Inverness.
127 homes built in remote communities.
837 new Council homes completed.
897 homes delivered by housing association partners.
76 low-cost home ownership properties provided.
419 mid-market rent homes delivered.
135 properties purchased from the open market to help meet housing need.
This investment is helping more people access affordable housing while supporting local jobs, communities and the wider economy.
Responding to growing demand
The updated Housing Need and Demand Assessment highlights the scale of future housing pressures across Highland.
The assessment estimates a requirement for 31,848 homes over the next 20 years and identifies housing availability as a growing challenge for both communities and employers.
Key findings show:
65% of employers surveyed identified housing shortages as a barrier to recruitment and retention.
29% of households expect or would like to move within the next two years.
20% of households with a health condition reported that their current home does not meet their accessibility needs.
10% of households considered their home overcrowded.
The findings reinforce the need to increase the supply of homes while ensuring the right types of housing are available in the right locations.
Supporting Highland's future growth
The Highland Council Committee met on Thursday 29 October 2026 and agreed to begin formal engagement with the Scottish and UK Governments on a new Highland Growth Deal, with the potential to unlock £10-£16 billion of public and private investment over the next 25 years. With major economic opportunities expected through developments such as the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, renewable energy, electricity transmission, ports, transport, digital connectivity and workforce development, ensuring sufficient housing is available for Highland investment and employees is vital. The Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2027-2032 continues to programme for the delivery of at least 700 affordable homes each year, subject to funding availability.
Alongside increasing housing supply through new development, the Council is also working with partners to bring empty homes back into use, helping to maximise existing housing stock and increase the availability of homes within local communities.
The Council is also investing in homes that are warmer, more energy-efficient and accessible, while continuing work to reduce homelessness, tackle fuel poverty and support independent living.
Over the course of 2027, a review of the Local Housing Strategy and Strategic Housing Investment Plan will take place, informed by engagement with key stakeholders to strengthen delivery and ensure Highland is equipped to meet its evolving housing needs.