Plans for security alterations at Tain Sheriff Court are being opposed by the local community council amid claims that structural changes could damage the historic building.
Tain Community Council added that it would like the court to leave the High Street because of the trouble it brings to the town centre.
The Scottish Court Service (SCS) wants to make a range of alterations inside the 19th-century building, including opening up the adjacent 18th-century clock tower as a public entrance.
It claims that the current layout is unsuitable because access to the main entrance to the courtroom is shared by the public, lawyers, jurors, witnesses and custody officers.
The SCS says this increases the risk of an incident during a trial and it is proposed to increase security by creating a separate public area.
Tain is due to take on extra business following the closure of Dornoch Sheriff Court last year, and the proposed closure of Dingwall.
In its objection letter, Tain Community Council said it wanted the SCS to “acknowledge the problems it brings to the town centre and give serious consideration to relocation”.
It is claimed that these problems include intimidation of pedestrians, noise and litter around the court entrance, as well as traffic issues because of prison vans parked on the street.
The group is also against the tower door being the main public entrance, particularly given its proximity to the historic Mercat Cross.
The letter added: “This historic building is a focal point for tourists and photographers, and assemblies of crowds on the pavement here will detract from the ambient quality of this part of the town centre. The fabric of the sandstone architecture at this point, the tower, the courthouse and the historic Mercat Cross is fragile and vulnerable to potential damage.”
It also fears that the inside of the tower would be vulnerable to vandalism.
The courthouse was built in 1849, with further building in 1873.
The clock tower was built in 1706.
Councillors on the north planning committee will decide whether to allow the alterations tomorrow.