Campaigners are delighted after the latest plans to build on Culloden battlefield were rejected.
Highland Council refused planning permission for a stone farm building near to the Culchunaig Farmhouse in Westhill, to be converted into a modern home.
Heritage campaigners have hailed the decision - the latest in a series of planning rejections - which they say will help to reassure people that the battlefield will be safeguarded for future generations.
The building sits to the southwest of the National Trust owned section of Culloden Battlefield and is within both the Inventory of Historic Battlefields area and Culloden Muir Conservation Area.
The application was rejected by councillors for a variety of reasons, including the fact that not only did the proposed plans not "preserve or enhance" the character of the conservation area as it "relates to the battlefield" but also that it was believed they would have an adverse impact on the character of both the battlefield inventory and conservation area.
The news comes as another proposal, which would have seen the Treetops equestrian centre at Febuie on Culloden Moor transformed into holiday, leisure, and hospitality facilities, was similarly rejected.
The last pitched battle fought on British soil, the area is a memorial to the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745, where on 16 April the following year, the Jacobite forces of Bonnie Prince Charlie were decisively defeated by Government troops on Culloden Moor.
The area has become increasingly brought to the fore in recent years, thanks to the success of TV shows such as Outlander in which the battle itself plays a huge part in the story.
The National Trust for Scotland, which owns and manages a key part of the battlefield at Culloden, said it was pleased by the decision, which continues to protect the area’s important heritage.
A spokesperson for the charity, added: "We all need to play our part in ensuring it remains for future generations.”
