The Highland Council will be undertaking an important audit over the next two months, consulting with landowners to find out how land for housing will be brought forward over the next few years.

Landowners will be consulted on the council’s Draft Housing Land Audit and asked to provide updated information on the status of each site, their aspirations and likely timescales. These responses along with planning officials’ best estimate of programming on sites will be incorporated into the finalised Audit.

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At yesterday’s Planning and Development Committee, members were told that in the first quarter of 2010/11, 403 houses have been completed, a 6% increase on the number of houses completed in the same period in 2007/08. The Council has a target of 6,000 new homes over four years to the end of 2011. Almost 5300 homes have been built to date.

Chairman of the Planning, Environment and Development Committee, Councillor Ian Ross said: “Our Housing Land Audit is an important piece of work as it will give us an updated position showing the number of houses programmed for completion over the next ten years as well as identifying future development sites. It will also reveal any constraints affecting development which links in to our aim of delivering sustainable communities. The information we gather from the Audit will give us the knowledge to properly plan for the future housing needs across the Highlands.”

(GK/KMcA)