THE Highland Council has unveiled plans to build 95 homes in Ullapool amid an ongoing national housing crisis.
Plans for a mix of affordable rental housing and private properties have been proposed for an area of vacant land west and north of Ullapool.
The proposal is currently going through the local authority's planning system and comes after some residents have raised concerns over the lack of affordable homes in Ullapool and the surrounding area.
Last December, a report by the Highland Community Planning Partnership highlighted Wester Ross, along with Lochalsh and Strathpeffer, as areas that faced challenges around affordable homes.
It also acknowledged that the "prevalence" of holiday lets and second homes in the areas had caused “significant frustration” over property prices and limited housing choices for local people.
In July, the Highland Council said it was committed to addressing the lack of housing, but has estimated an extra 24,000 homes are needed over the next 10 years to help address the demand.
The council said that under the current rate of building, it would take over 20 years to reach the required number of new homes and would need around £2.8 billion of extra investment to accelerate the construction programme.
Last year, the local authority said there was an urgent need to have accommodation ready for the expected 8400 jobs to be created by the new Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport.
The Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency in May, which formally recognised problems with the wider housing system.
