Highland councillors have approved a planned development of 24 affordable rental properties by Grantown-based Parklands Care Homes.

Parklands, recently named Highland Business of the Year, plans to build a series of two-bedroom cottage flats at Milton of Leys which will form part of an integrated care hub for the city.

With affordable housing in the city at a premium, and the cost of living crisis making homeownership more difficult, the new homes will be offered to Parklands employees in Inverness, where the company is planning a multi-million-pound investment.

Built over several phases, it will also include a 58-bed care home, currently under construction, and a later living village comprising 11 two-bedroom bungalows for sale.

Ron Taylor, managing director of Parklands Care Homes, said: “We are delighted that The Highland Council has approved our new key worker housing development, which will be a vital part of our integrated care hub for the city. This is an exciting project quite unlike anything in the Highlands.

“This project will greatly enhance a gap site that has lain empty for years and provide much needed affordable accommodation for key workers at a time when quality rental accommodation is at a premium.

“With planning consents for all three components of our integrated care hub now secured, we will set out our detailed timetable for the project in the coming months.”

The flats will also be offered to Parklands staff at nearby care homes in Grantown, Muir of Ord and Fortrose.