Highland Council new service ‘will help towards house building targets’
Highland Council has launched a new integrated housing delivery service in response to the national Housing Challenge.
The service will give housing development applicants, with applications to build 10 or more houses, the opportunity to meet with senior staff to discuss any outstanding issues prior to a decision being made.
The council believes this will help towards ensuring the timely consideration and delivery of planning permissions for the projected 24,000 houses that will be required over the next 10 years.
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Councillor Glynis Campbell Sinclair, housing and property chairwoman, said last week “We are committed to continuing our work with housing developers across the region to attain these targets and this can be evidenced with our launch of the Integrated Housing Delivery Service today.
“This new approach allows applicants to participate in a roundtable discussion to address any challenges or delays in order to progress their application.”
Representatives will be available to offer assistance if needed from the council’s key internal planning consultees, transport planning, the flood risk management team and environmental health.
“If you have a valid planning application for 10 or more homes that is facing delays, and you believe you would benefit from a discussion to help resolve any issues or concerns then I encourage you to take advantage of this new service,” Cllr Campbell Sinclair said.
There is no fee for this service and applicants only need to fill out a form to request a meeting for a 30 or 60-minute roundtable discussion.
More information on the service can be found online on the council’s website.
