Plans for a much-needed health and care facility in Tongue have taken a significant step forward, as Highland Councillors renewed their commitment to a key partnership driving the project.
At a full meeting of The Highland Council, Members agreed to formalise a three-way partnership between the Council, NHS Highland and WildLand Ltd, backing the joint delivery of a new care hub for the north coast.
The facility will serve communities in Sutherland and aligns with wider plans to improve access to local care through the Council’s Community Points of Delivery, or PODs.
It also complements new housing being developed in the area by WildLand, backed by Anne and Anders Holch Povlsen, who have long supported sustainable rural regeneration in the Highlands.
The Council confirmed that working with NHS Highland and WildLand remains the most economically viable and locally grounded option for delivering the North Coast Care Facility.
Cllr David Fraser, who chairs the Council’s Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee, praised the work that had gone into getting the project to this point.
“A lot of work has been done over recent years to bring us here,” he said.
“I’d like to pay tribute to both current and former local members, as well as community representatives, for their unwavering commitment.”
He added that the decisions made at the meeting bring the Council “closer to providing much needed health and social care facilities and new housing for the Sutherland communities”.
The project has had consistent local support, and the formal legal agreement now expected to follow will allow progress to move at pace.
NHS Highland’s Deputy Chief Executive, David Park, welcomed the decision and reaffirmed the health board’s dedication to the project.
“We will continue to work together and with local community members to progress this important integrated redesign of local care services,” he said.
Tim Kirkwood, Chief Executive of WildLand, said the Council’s endorsement marked a “significant milestone” and credited the Povlsen family’s ongoing support.
“With the unstinting backing of our founders Anne and Anders Holch Povlsen, our team at WildLand has been committed to this for a number of years,” he said.
“We look forward to concluding the legal agreements in the near future with an aim to breaking ground next year.”
The project is more than just a new building.
It’s a statement of intent for the future of the north coast that remote and rural communities deserve facilities that are as modern, caring and connected as anywhere else.
