Developers to be charged for new addresses

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House builders in the Highlands will be charged for creating new addresses from December to save cash, it was agreed by councillors yesterday.

A team of three planning technicians spend half of their working time updating the council’s gazetteer with new addresses, the planning, environment and development committee was told.

Under the legislation introduced in 1982, the council has a duty to create new street names and give individual premises a number, including all new houses.

These addresses are also forwarded to the Royal Mail, emergency services, council assessor and Ordnance Survey.

The council’s business support manager Sheila Lunn said that local authorities in England had charged for such services for several years.

She said that it was estimated that the move could raise new income of £75,000 per annum for Highland Council.

Introduction of the charges from December 1 will raise £18,000 this financial year.

It is proposed that there will be a basic charge of £80 for each request, with a sliding scale of charges thereafter, depending on the number of new addresses being created.

Between two and five plots will cost £40 each plus the basic charge, while between six and 10 will be £25 for each plot.

Those creating more than 50 new addresses will be charged £15 per plot.

Ms Lunn said that “vanity changes” – where a householder gives an existing property a new name – would not be subject to a charge.