Highland council looks to Finland to solve housing shortage

A touch of Finland is to help to tackle a remote Scottish community's affordable homes shortage.
In a new idea by The Highland Council to try and combat some of the areas housing problems they are to set a competition for 'Finnish' style home designs.

Allan Maguire, from Highland Council, said the council had set up a design and house build competition of the type used in Finland. The homes are built and then the Highland Housing Alliance and Highland Housing Fair will showcase them. The homes are on public display during a month-long exhibition before people start moving into them.

The Highland Council deliver 90% of all affordable housing in the region, which contains 200,000 residents in an area the size of Belgium. The largest settlement is Inverness city with 60,000 people, while average house prices in the Highlands are £135,000 compared to the average rural income of £16,000. And in some rural areas, 50% of the properties are holiday homes, while the communities have high rates of homelessness.

It is hoped that the competition will help locals with lower incomes get on the property ladder.