Auditors probe housing land deal

The housing fair will showcase innovative designs

The use of public money by the Highland Housing Fair project is to be investigated by independent auditors.

Highland MSP David Thompson has written to the government spending watchdog asking them to investigate the sale of land by building company Tulloch.

Audit Scotland said while such an investigation was not in their remit it had asked the councils' external auditors to look into the matter.

The event, in 2009, will be the first of its kind in the UK.

Architects and developers will create homes on the site to showcase sustainable housing design, for the event which will take place in Inverness next August.

It has the backing of both the council and government ministers.

Mr Thompson, an SNP MSP, said he wanted people's minds to be put at rest:

"Highland Council were partners in setting up the Highland Housing Alliance, who are running the Highland Housing Fair.

"They put in a substantial amount of money into Highland Housing Alliance for this.

"The particular land deal which caused concern earlier this year was a transaction between the builders, Tulloch, and the Highland Housing Alliance, where a fairly substantial profit was made in a very short time by the builder and that caused public concern and that is one of the issues that I want the auditors to be looking at".

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