Highland housing demand survey launched as council housing applications rise 13 per cent in 5 years
The number of applicants for Highland Council houses has grown by 13 per cent over the past five years.
In March, there were 8767 people on the Highland Housing Register, which is contributing to the current housing challenge.
Highland Council has estimated that 24,000 new homes are required over the next 10 years to meet housing demand in the region; however, this is an estimate.
The local authority is now asking individuals and communities to take part in a wide-scale household survey about housing need and demand.
The survey aims to gather evidence on the scale of housing shortage in the Highlands and to evidence the number and type of homes required to meet the needs of residents and communities.
This includes gathering information on the number of households living in homes which are not suitable for their needs, as well as the views of new or younger households who may have to leave the region because they cannot find anywhere to live.
This council is no longer basing future housebuilding plans on past trends within the Highland population or economy, but on real-time information on housing need and demand direct from Highland residents.
With the information from residents, Highland Council will work on ensuring there is the correct investment, land and labour available for short, medium and long-term housing needs.
Housing and property committee chairperson, Cllr Glynis Campbell Sinclair said: “The Highland Council, as part of its commitment to meeting the ‘Highland Housing Challenge’, strongly encourages residents across Highland to compete the Highland Housing Need & Demand Survey.
“This will ensure a robust and accurate data set is captured for all types of housing need and not just for Council housing.
“To capture this as accurately as possible, we need to speak to residents over 16 years old, in all parts of the Highland region and living in all types of housing, so that we can identify what housing is needed across Highland communities for the years ahead.”
The online survey is currently open to all Highland residents over 16 years of age.
The survey is being carried out by a professional market research company, Research Resource and will run until November 14.