Plans have been lodged to transform a historic mansion in Caithness from a care home into a guest house with a café and craft shop.
Forse House, at Latheron, has been a care home for people with learning difficulties for the past three decades, but will shut in the coming weeks due to a change in government social care policy.
It has been put on the market for offers in the region of £450,000.
Built in 1765 and set within 24 acres of grounds, the category B-listed house was previously used as a poor house, a hospital and a hotel.
Now a family who operate holiday cottages near Beauly have lodged plans with Highland Council to turn it back into a guest house, although any purchase of the property would be subject to planning approval.
Jason and Lynn Watts believe the scheme would preserve the historic home and create new jobs.
Mr Watts said: “It’s a fantastic building. It has a very long history and it is set in the landscape of Caithness. We love the area.
“We know the area and fell in love with the building.
“We’ve got a holiday cottage business in the Inverness area and we seeing this as being the next step.
“We want to use it as our home and utilise it for the community, B&B, suites of rooms, holiday lets, a venue for weddings.”
The shop would enable locally-produced crafts to be sold and, along with the café, could help create new jobs.
“We’ve been working on it for the last seven months or so. We’ve done a full business plan and everything,” Mr Watts said.
“These rural care homes are being shut down and people need to take them on and give them a new lease of life.”
In 2011, the care home business had a turnover of £826,385, but that reduced in the following three years following a phased reduction as residents were re-homed.
There are three bedrooms on the ground floor, as well as a number of other rooms for treatment, support and storage.
The first floor has nive bedrooms, plus a one-bed flat and four bathrooms.
There is a large lounge to the front of the building, while the second floor has 14 bedrooms and four bathrooms, and the attic has three large rooms.
