Getting Involved

Now is a great time to let us know your contact details so we can keep you up to date and get you involved in planning for the future of Highland.

Over the coming year we will be carrying out consultation on a number of key documents including:

• Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan;
• On-shore Wind Energy: Supplementary Guidance;
• Developer Contributions: Supplementary Guidance; and
• Residential Layout and Design: Supplementary Guidance.

So why not get in touch with your name, e-mail address and address and we will keep you up to date with how you can get involved. E-mail devplans@highland.gov.uk with your details.

From mid-February we will be carrying out events including drop in sessions and workshops for each of the settlements covered by maps in the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan to help you have your say on how you would like to see your community develop.

Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter (@highlanddevplan) and Facebook (search HighlandDevPlans) as well as checking back our Blog.

Planning, Environment and Development Committee - January 18 2012

The agenda for the next meeting of The Highland Council's Planning, Environment and Development Committee is now available on the Council's website by clicking here.

Key development planning items include:


Item 8. Highland-wide Local Development Plan – Report of Examination and Approval of Procedures to Adoption

Item 9. Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan – Approval of Main Issues Report and Draft for Consultation

Appendix 1 (Part1)

Appendix 2 (Part2)

Item 10. Letter from Chief Planner – Occupancy Restrictions and Rural Housing

11. Onshore Wind Energy – Outcome of Consultation

12. Inverness City Centre Development Brief

13. Sandown Development Brief

Don't forget you can watch the committee online from 10:30am on the day of committee by clicking here.

Highland wide Local Development Plan - Report of Examination

On 20th December 2011, The Highland Council received the Report of Examination for the Highland wide Local Development Plan. You can view the report here.

We put out a press release just before Christmas outlining some of the key findings of the examination it is available here.

There has been a lot of press about the report of examination so why not have a look at some of the articles in the local and national media:

Inverness Courier
BBC - December 23rd 2011
BBC - December 29th 2011
BBC - January 3rd 2012

On Wednesday 18th January 2012, the Planning, Environment and Development Committee will consider the Report of Examination and following that the Development Plans Team are hoping to move swiftly towards the intention to adopt stage of the plan. You can view the report to PED Committee here.

Highland wide Local Development Plan: Examination - Reporters' Progress Report (October)

"The reporters have been taking stock of the evidence heard during the hearing discussions last month, and looking at the subsequent submissions on the matters raised. Some have also taken leave. As the examination is now largely in its reporting stage, that is, writing up the individual responses to the schedule 4 documents, consideration is being given to any final information requests that might be needed from the council, and whether any site inspections are outstanding.

Proof reading is taking place for schedules already completed, and these are submitted to administrators compiling the final report. Once the schedules are completed there must be a comprehensive checking to ensure there are no internal contradictions that could invalidate any of the conclusions. Each reporter works independently on his allocated issues, but general discussions take place on overall policies and the approach to the plan.

The reporters still hope to make their end of November deadline, after which the final checking will be completed ready for submission to the council".

For more details of the Examination of the Highland wide Local Development Plan please see our website.

Highland wide Local Development Plan: Examination - Reporters' Progress Report (September)

"The reporters held two hearing sessions on 27 and 28 September. Topics considered at the hearings include spatial strategy, population growth, housing land requirements and proposed developments in the Inverness-Nairn corridor. In all, some dozen representees took part in the hearings. The hearings have clarified and extended the reporters' understanding of the issues that were under debate.

The reporters have continued to seek additional written information from the council and from those parties who have made representations. They have completed unaccompanied inspections of a number of sites to which reference is made in representations. At this stage they do not envisage there being a need for any inquiry sessions or further hearings. Sections of the report are now being drafted."

Highland wide Local Development Plan: Examination - Reporters' Progress Report (August)

"In August a fourth reporter Iain Lumsden was welcomed to the team. His wide experience will be valuable to the team members.

Work has continued in assessing the representations and how they will be handled. A large number of questions requiring additional information have been put to the council. These have all been answered quickly and comprehensively, for which the team is grateful. The first unaccompanied site inspections have been carried out, in the Nairn area. Many of the issues will not require additional information or site inspections but will be carried out on the basis of the information originally supplied of further written submissions.

It has also been decided that two hearings will be carried, looking at the overall strategy and housing requirements, and the way this has been translated into the development structure on the ground in the A96 corridor and Nairn area. These will be held in Inverness in late September, and parties invited have now been informed.

Actual writing up the reports will now actively be taking place. The team meets monthly and has agreed on administrative points to ensure matters such as consistency, format and proof reading are properly handled. The team is confident that the end of November deadline will be met."

For more details of the Examination of the Highland wide Local Development Plan please see our website.

Draft Houses in Multiple Occupation: Supplementary Guidance - Consultation

For nearly three years The Highland Council has had in place a policy to manage the provision of houses in multiple occupation, which has been implemented through partnership working between council services across Highland.

Communities and developers are being invited to have their say in shaping a revised policy aimed at managing the provision of houses in multiple occupation in the Highlands. A consultation, organised by The Highland Council’s Planning and Development Service, runs from Monday 15th August 2011 until Monday 26 September 2011. Already the document has been sent to a number of groups, including community councils, homeless partnership groups, and all licensed houses in multiple occupation.

The document will be available to view in libraries, service points (from Monday) and online on the link below:
http://www.highland.gov.uk/yourenvironment/planning/developmentplans/developmentplanpolicyguidance/hmo.htm.

Input from the community is very important to us and we would particularly welcome your responses to the questions set out in the draft guidance, your preferred approach to the provision of houses in multiple occupation within Inverness City Centre and any further options for the provision of houses in multiple occupation you think that we should consider.

We would welcome any comments you may have on the draft supplementary guidance by 26th September 2011. Please make these comments to me by e-mail to devplans@highland.gov.uk.


If you have any questions about the guidance please do not hesitate to contact the Development Plans Team on devplans@highland.gov.uk or 01463 702261.

Highland wide Local Development Plan: Examination - Reporters' Progress Report (July)

"The reporters' work during July has concentrated on the continuing examination of the representations and council responses to decide whether they have sufficient information to conduct the examination. A number of cases have already arisen where the council has been asked for further information in writing, and some answers have already been received. The reporters are also considering whether any oral sessions will be necessary. Initial assessments suggest only two or three issues may require such sessions. If so, potential participants will be informed in early August."

For more details of the Examination of the Highland wide Local Development Plan please see our website.

Online Local Development Plan - Outage for Essential Maintenance

Please note that Highland Council's Online Local Development Plan will be unavailable from 4pm Thu 28 Jul until Mon 1 Aug for essential ICT infrastructure changes. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Highland Council and SNH Launch Green Networks Supplementary Guidance

An innovative new approach to planning will guide future major development in the Highlands and in particular the Inverness and Inner Moray Firth areas. The Highland Council and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have been working to produce guidance on ‘green networks’ to complement the Highland-wide Local Development Plan.

Green networks are webs of green spaces and green corridors within and around towns and villages and the wider countryside. These help enhance an area's wildlife and quality of life for people in the area. The new guidance sets out how developers can take green networks into account in design proposals, the council’s role in assessing planning applications, and ways in which developer contributions can be sought.

These green networks will also make the most of the Highlands’ spectacular scenery and tourist attractions. This includes providing an opportunity for a new network of paths and trails to make it easier to access the outdoors. This connectivity is also vital to many plants and animals as it allows them to migrate from one place to another, or in the case of native plants, to colonise other areas.

Creating new active travel routes will provide more options for people who want to walk and bike to work or at the weekend. Both are essential in helping to tackle climate change.

Councillor Ian Ross, the council’s planning chairman, stressed: “Green networks are important in planning; we perhaps don’t think about them often enough. They are widespread on the continent and provide a stimulus for economic recovery by attracting businesses, home owners and visitors. We are pleased to have worked closely with Scottish Natural Heritage to deliver this important piece of guidance”.

And Anne Murray, the SNH officer leading the project, confirmed: “As the Inverness area is poised to undergo dramatic changes in the next few years – including development in the A96 corridor – we believe that green networks in and around the city are vital to providing a healthy environment and healthier communities. People, and of course wildlife, will benefit from the planned future green networks to extend from Inverness and Nairn to Helmsdale, and from Wick eastwards to Thurso as well as around Fort William and Portree”.

The new guidance can be viewed here: Green Networks Interim Supplementary Guidance.