The proposed sale of publicly owned woodland around a historic Highland castle has angered local residents, who now hope to stage a community buyout of the site.
A private company set up by a group of investors is understood to be seeking to purchase Carbisdale Castle and wants to add 100 acres of forestry to the complex.
The firm, Carbisdale Castle Ltd, wants to create a luxury hotel and turn the woodland into showpiece gardens.
However, residents of Culrain are calling on the Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), which owns the land, to withdraw from the sale.
They are furious that there has been no consultation and believe the organisation is acting in violation of its policies.
Culrain and District Hall Committee has been planning to create a forest trust in the area, and intended to use the National Forest Land Scheme.
However members claim FCS is obstructing the community’s actions by refusing to divulge the exact location of the land being offered to the castle developers.
Architects from Carbisdale Castle Ltd will meet locals in Bonar Bridge on Wednesday to discuss details of the scheme.
Committee secretary Anne Henderson said FCS bosses were “twisting their own rules” to justify the sale.
She said: “We’re at a loss as to why the Forestry Commission is not protecting the land this community has nurtured and invested in for so long.
“We applaud the sale of the castle and would love to see it flourish for many years to come, but the forest land is and should remain detached from the castle. The two should not be packaged together in a deal to satisfy a mysterious private developer.”
A Forestry Commission Scotland spokesman said: “We have been approached by a developer about a possible purchase of an area of the National Forest Estate as part of wider plans for the re-development of the adjacent Carbisdale Castle.
“Preliminary discussions with the developer have taken place, however, as yet we have not agreed the extent or boundaries of a potential area or whether any sale is in the public interest.
“We are aware of some local community concerns about the potential sale and the developer is organising a meeting with all the interested parties to discuss the proposal. We hope this meeting provides an opportunity to hear about the proposals and share their initial thoughts.”
Rob Gibson, SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross has written to the Registers of Scotland and the FCS to seek clarity on the way ahead.
He said he supported the local group’s application to register an interest in the land.