Heritage campaigners face a fresh battle for Culloden after it emerged decision to block an application to build on the historic battlefield has been appealed.
Campaigners had breathed a sigh of relief earlier this month when Highland Council rejected a plan to convert a stone farm building on the south west side of the historic moor into a modern dwelling house.
The farmhouse - Culchunaig Steading - is within both the Inventory of Historic Battlefields area and Culloden Muir Conservation Area, and has previously been subject to a failed planning bid.
But it has emerged that the proposal has now been appealed, and will go to the Scottish Government's planning reporter for a final decision, potentially overruling the local authority's decision.
The battlefield is studded with memorials to those who fell
Culloden is famous as the site of the final stand of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, which saw Bonnie Prince Charlie's army of Highlanders defeated by UK Government troops.
It has been imortalised in songs, books and on screen - most recently in the popular TV Series Outlander, starring Sam Heughan.
READ MORE: Culloden battlefield planning application rejected
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which cares for and protects the ‘core’ segment of the Culloden battlefield, had objected to the revised application last month.
After new information was brought to light through ongoing historic and archaeological research, which highlighted the steading's importance in the battle.
The Battle of Culloden, which its 275th anniversary this year, is famous as the last stand of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion, and saw Bonnie Prince Charlie's army of Highlanders defeated by UK Government troops.
The aftermath saw the dismantling of much of the Highland way of life and the demise of the clan system, as well as the stationing of Government troops across the Highlands.
A representation of the battle
The battle has been imortalised in songs, books and on screen - most recently in the popular TV Series Outlander, starring Sam Heughan.
READ MORE: Anger at new £1m plans for holiday village at Culloden
The National Trust for Scotland’s Operations Manager at Culloden, Raoul Curtis-Machin said: "This is an unelected official who will make a powerful recommendation. And this represents part of the problem.
"Each individual planning application twists and turns like a many snake-headed hydra. Just when you think you've cut off its head and secured the heritage for another day, it grows another head and comes back at you.
"As a conservation charity we struggle to keep ahead of all this, and it uses up a lot of our valuable resources. It's just disappointing and depressing."
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