Highland Council launches new Investment Prospectus to drive regional growth

A new Invest Highland prospectus designed to stimulate and promote investment opportunities and demonstrate the benefits of doing business in the Highlands is set to be launched by The Highland Council.

Aimed at attracting businesses, investors, and developers to the region, the new prospectus highlights the scale and ambition of existing public and private sector co-investment and future development plans for growth.

It builds on the Invest Highland website, which was originally launched last year and has been significantly enhanced to include investment opportunities in local communities.

The Council and its partners in the public and private sector are paving the way to realise the region’s economic potential, with £11.1 billion of long-term commitments planned to invest in key public services and infrastructure and to create the right conditions for private capital investment and business growth.

Incorporating a range of creative measures to maximise the potential of public and private sector co-investments, these commitments focus on the key drivers for growth in the Highlands, including housing, clean energy, roads, digital connectivity, and public services.

Key commitments include:

• Highland Investment Plan - £20 billion over 20 years for transport, infrastructure, schools, and community Points of Delivery (PoDs).
• Highland Housing Challenge - £6 billion over 10 years to deliver 24,000 homes across 250 sites, including at least 700 new affordable homes annually.
• Green Freeport Non-Domestic Rates Retention Strategy - an anticipated £547 million in retained rates to support skills, infrastructure, innovation, and regeneration.
• Inverness and City Region Deal - £428 million to transform Inverness and the wider Highlands into a hub of digital opportunity and sustainable growth.
• Highlands Social Value Charter - ensuring renewable energy and green infrastructure projects create a lasting legacy for the region.

By creating the right conditions for investment in Highland, the region is already attracting private investment at scale including at Ardersier Port, Kishorn Port, Sumitomo manufacturing facility at Nigg, and the Port of Cromarty Firth.

Council leader, Cllr Raymond Bremner said: “The new Investment Prospectus, together with the Invest Highland website, position the Highlands as an attractive and leading destination for ambitious, innovative, and sustainable investment. This work is essential in unlocking the Highlands’ economic potential and creating lasting benefits for our communities, which will mean good jobs, better housing, stronger public services, and opportunities for young people to stay, thrive and build their futures in Highland.”

The Invest Highland website and prospectus focus on key sectors, including clean energy, space, creative industries, sustainable tourism, life sciences, Gaelic, and food and drink, and aims to:

• Attract private sector investment to Highland.
• Demonstrate the ambitions of the Council and its partners in the public, private, and third sectors, alongside investment already underway.
• Showcase opportunities across the region, from large-scale developments to community-led projects.
• Champion public-private partnerships, aligning local ambitions with national priorities and global opportunities.
• Set the framework for future Growth Deals for the Highlands by outlining areas for potential public sector investment. 

Another major addition is the introduction of the BeConnected* online platform, enabling communities to showcase local projects and priorities, connect with other groups, and access funding, information, resources, or support.

The prospectus, which has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, will be used at Scottish Cities Week and other similar events in 2026 to highlight priority investment opportunities.

Further work to strengthen the online platforms will be made in the coming months through a programme of engagement.

*The Highland Council is piloting BeConnected, a new digital platform to support community organisations and groups in accessing funding, in-kind support, and opportunities to collaborate across the region. It will help to ensure funders have a clear picture of grass-root activities across Highland. BeConnected will be launched later this month.