Second public consultation event to take place
Following the first engagement event about a possible proposal for a Masterplan Consent Area (MCA) Scheme at Embo, the community is encouraged to take part in a second engagement event planned for Thursday 5 March 2026. This second event will provide an opportunity to hear feedback on the comments made by members of the public at the first event and to respond to additional information and to share further views on the potential MCA.
The Highland Council continues its work to speed up the delivery of much needed homes and infrastructure across the region. MCAs offer a new approach to planning, allowing councils to set out advance consent for large or complex development sites. This framework aims to simplify the planning process, cut delivery times, and give communities a clearer understanding of how sites could evolve in the future.
At its November meeting, the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee agreed to progress the development of several MCAs throughout Highland as part of a wider strategy to unlock housing growth and respond to long‑standing delivery challenges.
Chair of the Sutherland Committee, Councillor Richard Gale said: “We are very grateful for the engagement we have received so far from the local community at Embo on the possible MCA. We recorded an attendance of approximately 55 people at the first event on 29 January 2026. It was encouraging to see community interest in potential development, to gather constructive feedback and to understand the community’s concerns. We thank all who contributed for their interest. By opening the conversation early and continuing the engagement, we are ensuring that local voices guide the direction of this possible proposal from the very beginning.”
The prospective development partner is the local landowner Edward Abel Smith, who issued a clarification about the development intentions prior to the first event.
The emerging proposal under consideration in Embo is for a phased residential development on land adjacent to Embo, comprising a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced housing types including affordable homes, together with biodiversity enhancement, landscaping, community woodland, amenity open space, food growing areas and associated infrastructure.
The second engagement event is planned for Thursday 5 March at The Old School, School Street, Embo. Members of the public are invited to an informal drop-in session from 3pm to 8pm.
Comments can be submitted by email, the Consultation Portal, at the event via paper forms, or verbally during discussions. The final deadline for written comments is 31 March 2026.
Further details, including maps and background information, are available on the Plan Delivery page of the Highland Council website.