The scale of housing projects could be increased in Moray to make sure the region stays on track with its affordable housing targets.
The council currently aims to build 70 new homes every year to add to its stock in towns and villages.
However, two projects which were due to be delivered this year, at Banff Road in Keith and at Findrassie in Elgin, have been delayed.
Now, the authority is aiming to bring forward future schemes for a further 28 homes at Barhill Road in Buckie and 59 at Mosstodloch to keep pace with targets.
There are currently about 3,500 people on the waiting list for homes in Moray, and last night, Buckie councillor Gordon Cowie stressed it was imperative to explore ways to keep up with demand.
He said: “The truth is that we can’t build them quick enough at the moment. Everybody wants housing as quickly as possible but, with the financial constraints, it’s not possible.
“There can be a lot of hoops to jump through with planning and everything else, so it’s important to keep an eye on what’s happening years into the future.
“I know they are on site at Barhill Road in Buckie so there should be some ready there very soon.”
The Banff Road project in Keith has been delayed while engineering studies are done to reduce costs and timings with developers of Findrassie have not been agreed yet.
Housing officers at Moray Council estimate that 223 homes will be completed across the region over the next three years.
Projects for 20 houses at Ferrylea and 12 at Strathcona Road, both in Forres, and 21 at the former driving range in Elgin and a further 15 at Linkwood are due to be finished over the next year.
The council’s communities committee will meet to discuss progress on new builds on Tuesday.
The Scottish Government has recently announced it will more than double its three-year funding to the local authority to build new homes – which now stands at £24.9million.
In a report, Graeme Davidson, the council’s housing strategy and development manager, said: “The council’s new build programme is lower than expected for 2017/18.
“Owing to this, the council has an opportunity to bring forward expenditure on projects planned for later years of the programme.”
