The masterplan for a controversial new Cairngorm village has been revealed for the first time.
Detailed plans for the An Camas Mor development near Aviemore have been submitted to Highland Council and the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
Estate owner Johnnie Grant welcomed the submission, calling it an “important step” in the development of An Camas Mor.
But a consortium of environmental groups who have battled against the development have indicated that they will oppose the masterplan, saying that environmental surveys carried out have not gone far enough in measuring the possible impact.
The site, and wider plans to building housing in the Cairngorms, are the subject of a long running legal bid by the Cairngorm Campaign and the Scottish Campaign for National Parks and the Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group (BSCG).
They have lodged an appeal to the UK Supreme Court after losing two attempts in the Court of Appeal to block the plans.
However, Mr Grant said that building new homes in the area is important for the region’s future.
Mr Grant said: “We’re delighted to have reached what is a very important step on the way to creating a community that reflects the special nature of its environment.
“We’re also sure this will be welcome news for many young people in the area, particularly families, who have been struggling to get on the housing ladder.
“There is a chronic shortage of affordable housing in Badenoch and Strathspey and this will help to alleviate the problem.”
The masterplan sets out the principles that would guide the construction of the new village, as well as environmental assessments and plans for the infrastructure needed to develop the site.
This includes main road connections, lighting and utilities.
If approved, a more detailed application would then be submitted with designs of homes
The development will be built in a number of phases over several decades, with around 200 houses to be built in the first phase.
Campaigners against the development have warned that it could destroy the natural habitat and put a number of animal species at risk.