Our Priorities
Highland Council and its partners are delivering a coordinated transformation to unlock the region’s full potential.
Working with national and regional agencies, we are focused on enabling investment, improving infrastructure, and fostering inclusive growth. This approach aligns with national ambitions and supports long-term economic resilience across the Highlands.
Strategic Priorities
The Highland Council, in collaboration with the UK Government, the Scottish Government, regional partners, and national agencies, is delivering a coordinated strategy to unlock the region’s full potential. This approach aligns with national ambitions for:
Clean Energy – Advancing offshore wind, hydrogen, and green port infrastructure, supported by major grid upgrades
Place-Based Regeneration – Investing in communities and creating high-quality jobs through integrated facilities and housing delivery
Inclusive Growth – Ensuring opportunities reach both rural and urban areas, backed by skills development and digital connectivity.
Major Investment Programmes
The Highland Investment Plan is a 20-year, £2.1 billion programme designed to transform communities and strengthen the region’s economy. This ambitious strategy will deliver:
Integrated Community Hubs (Points of Delivery) combining schools, health, leisure, childcare, and public services—bringing essential facilities closer to people.
Transport Network Upgrades including roads, bridges, and community transport to improve connectivity and access to jobs and services.
Major Capital Investments in industrial assets, affordable housing, and modern infrastructure to support sustainable growth.
Highland Housing Challenge
A 10-year partnership commitment to tackle housing shortages
and support economic growth by delivering
New Homes
and unlocking £6 billion of investment
Key Actions:
Deliver homes across all tenures to meet diverse needs
Address financial and development challenges for rural housing
Introduce new approaches to financing and building capacity
Accelerate development to meet demand and strengthen communities
Image used with permission © Ewen Weatherspoon
Inverness and Highland City Region Deal (2017-2027)
£428.7m with private investment driving housing, transport, innovation, and skills development across the Highlands. Key projects include Inverness Castle redevelopment, digital connectivity upgrades, and rural transport improvements.
Tourism Investment Planning
A framework for sustainable investment in visitor facilities, managing pressures at key destinations and supporting cultural projects.
Green Freeport Non Domestic Rates Retention Strategy
Ensures incremental NDR growth on Freeport tax sites delivers long-term benefits for the Highland economy, funding skills, infrastructure, and Net Zero transition.
Workforce for the Future
Building a sustainable, skilled, and resilient workforce aligned to major investments in renewables, housing, and infrastructure.
Future Growth Deal Projects
Regional projects required to support growth and development across the area, including roads, harbours, hospitals, and cultural infrastructure.
Examples of these include:
- Achnasheen to Kishorn road upgrade
- Stromeferry Bypas
- Portree, Lochinver, Kinlochbervie and Wick harbour
- Regeneration and investment
- New Belford Hospital
Culture and leisure investments across the region
Social Value Charter
Our Social Value Charter sets clear expectations for developers and investors to deliver long-term benefits for Highland communities. It embeds community wealth building, ensures renewable energy projects contribute to local prosperity, and promotes skills development and fair work.
National Support
and Funding Streams
This strategy is underpinned by continued support from major national programmes, including:
Scottish National Investment Bank & National Wealth Fund – backing strategic industrial and energy investments
UK & Scottish Governments’ Industrial Strategy Zones Action Plan – prioritising regions like the Highlands, and the Green Freeport in particular, for targeted growth and innovation
£600m Strategic Sites Accelerator Fund – unlocking development-ready land and overcoming infrastructure barriers in Freeports and Investment Zones
Co-Investment & Delivery
Public and private sector collaboration and co-investment is central to success. Examples include
Ardersier Port
private investment
£50m Public Backing
Kishorn Port
investment supported by HIE
Sumitomo Facility
investment enabled by
Scottish Government support
SSEN Transmission
First business to sign the Highland Social Value Charter,
embedding community wealth building and fair work principle
into multi-billion-pound grid upgrade projects.
Contact Us
For further information on what is happening in the Highlands or advice on how you can invest in the region please get in touch.