A new social housing plan that will create 750 new local authority homes in the Highlands is "affordable", one expert has said on Forbes.com.

According to Margaret Davidson, the chairwoman of the Highlands Housing and Social Work Committee, the plans put forward by the local council are reasonable and will help create the "badly needed" housing.

She confirmed this on BBC News, claiming: "These houses are badly needed in the Highlands to meet a huge demand for affordable housing, and we believe the proposed programme is affordable."

Davidson also went on to say that the housing would "sustain" the local community and help give Scotland's construction sector a boost. Her comments may please those in social housing jobs across the Highlands who are in favour of the plans.

The Highlands council is expected to ask the government for help in partially funding the project; in addition to proposing a 67 per cent rise on rent currently charged on the area's local authority homes to help obtain the rest of the money required.

If the government agrees to help fund the project, it will likely grant the council £30,000 per new home from its Innovation and Investment Fund.

Furthermore if the plans are approved, then some 101 out of the proposed 750 homes should be erected and completed by mid-2012.