Highly respected cultural leader and strategist Bryan Beattie has been appointed by The Highland Council as Bid Director of the Inverness - Highland bid for UK City of Culture 2029. He was recently creative director for the Inverness Castle Experience and interim Chief Executive at Eden Court, and a former Chair of Fèis Rois and Scottish Youth Theatre.
The Highland Council will meet on Thursday, 14 May and on the agenda for discussion is a report on the Highland Housing Challenge. The Highland Housing Challenge was declared in June 2024, with a target of 24,000 new homes by 2034.
A pumped storage hydro project proposed near Loch Ness has committed to allocating 5 per cent of its annual gross margin to a Community Wealth Fund estimated to deliver over £20 million a year. Glen Earrach Energy (GEE) has become the second company to sign the Highland Social Value Charter, marking a significant milestone in delivering long-term socio-economic benefits for communities across the Highlands.
A public consultation opens today on proposals to introduce Short Term Let Control Areas (STLCA) in Highland with the aim of striking a better balance between tourism growth and local housing need. The Highland Council is seeking views from residents, communities, businesses and the tourism sector on proposals to introduce two STLCAs: Inverness City STLCA, which would cover the wards of Inverness West; Inverness Central; Inverness Ness-side; Inverness Millburn; and parts of Inverness South, including Westhill, Milton of Leys and Slackbuie, and; Highland Rural STLCA, which would cover the wards of Lochaber; Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh; Sutherland; Skye and Raasay; Aird and Loch Ness; and parts of Inverness South, including Tomatin and Daviot.
The financial pressures facing both the Scottish Government and councils could create major risks for ambitious long-term capital programmes such as The Highland Council’s Highland Investment Plan (HIP), including the proposed £100 million redevelopment of Thurso High School into a major community campus. However, the picture is complicated because projects like Thurso are also politically and economically important for the region.