The Comhairle is currently in the process of preparing an Outer Hebrides Housing Land Audit (OHHLA). This consultation is open to everyone to put forward any potential sites that could be included in the OHHLA.
All planning authorities are required to prepare a Housing Land Audit as part of the Local Development Plan (LDP) process. The National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) introduced a new plan-led approach to planning for new homes. Policy on Quality Homes (policy 16) encourages, promotes and facilitates the delivery of more high quality, affordable and sustainable homes, in the right locations, providing choice across tenures that meet the diverse housing needs of people and communities across Scotland.
Policy 16 also states that the Housing Land Audit will monitor the delivery of housing land to inform the pipeline and the actions to be taken in the delivery programme.
As part of the process the Comhairle is keen to engage with developers, trusts, agents, and landowners to identify potential land available for both private and affordable housing. If you have land which could potentially be available for housing and which you would wish to have included in the audit please complete the HLA site template as far as possible and return it to localdevplan@cne-siar.gov.uk, along with a plan of the site by 28 November 2025. Further feasibility work may then be carried out on the site, and this may lead to inclusion in the Housing Land Audit.
Inclusion in the Housing Land Audit does not indicate that the land would be committed for housing or that development would be guaranteed. Any future development of land would still be subject to the usual planning process.
This consultation will be open for comments until 28 November 2025.
In due course we will assess all sites we receive on their suitability for inclusion in the HLA. We hope to publish a new OHHLA online by Spring 2026. This will then inform the Evidence Report and Local Development Plan.
Please see our Planning Policy and Guidance page which provides further information on the Local Development Plan Process.
Equalities Monitoring
Please complete the Equalities Monitoring Form
This is used by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to provide essential statistical information about who participates in our consultations. The data is managed confidentially, is not personally attributable, and is processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act.