Reviewing Planning Policy to Accelerate Provision of Affordable Housing
The Highland Council’s Planning Environment and Development Committee is to review planning guidance to ensure the Council Administration meets its commitment to deliver 2,000 additional affordable homes over the next four years.
The review will cover topics such as the mechanisms for the delivery of affordable housing, levels of contribution sought, affordable housing thresholds and the issues involved in increasing the supply of land for well sited and designed affordable housing across the Highlands.
A half-day seminar for members on affordable housing is to be held on Monday 26 November which will inform and set out the context for the review of the guidance and the outcomes and further work being undertaken by planning and housing and property officials will be presented to the Planning Environment and Development Committee on 23 January, next year with recommendations on any policy changes required, as well as arrangements for public consultation.
The timetable will allow the Council to respond to a discussion document by the Scottish Government called “Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland”, which sets out a number of issues for the future delivery of affordable housing in Scotland.
Over the past five years, the affordable housing planning policy in the Highland Structure Plan and individual Local Plans has helped deliver 1,200 affordable houses. Affordable housing is also delivered directly by local housing associations or through organisations such as the Highland Housing Alliance.
Councillor Drew Hendry, Chairman of the Planning Environment and Development Committee, wants to see the rate of affordable housing accelerated.
He said: “The Planning and Development Service has a key role in delivering the Council’s commitment for affordable housing provision. Given the need to ensure the smooth and timely delivery of affordable housing, there is an opportunity to review our current approaches to delivery. This will be taken forward by work being carried out over the course of the next couple of months.”