A former GP surgery in the Highlands could be bulldozed to make way for a new affordable housing development.
Highland Council has applied for permission to demolish the old Drumnadrochit Medical Centre buildings on Balmacaan Road in the Loch Ness-side village.
The local authority revealed last night that it was drawing up early plans to use the site for a low-cost housing project.
A new £1.5million health centre was officially opened in Drumnadrochit in December 2015, just a few yards from the ageing and cramped facility it replaced.
The council is now moving to make use of the site of the previous premises and hopes to proceed with demolition work.
A spokeswoman for the local authority said: “We can confirm that the Highland Council has applied for permitted development for the demolition of buildings at Drumnadrochit Medical Centre, Balmacaan Road, Drumnadrochit.”
She added: “It is the council’s intention to use the site for affordable housing.
“It is early days in the process and the council has yet to submit a planning/building warrant application for housing.”
The newly built complex has five GP consulting rooms, a dedicated nurse and healthcare assistant consulting room and two treatment rooms.
It also has a facility for local first responders and a hot-desking office for use by visiting health and social care workers.
Previously it was not possible to house community and psychiatric nurses, podiatrists and social workers together.
The new complex was designed after work by NHS Highland and a community group, made up of members of the community council, GPs, local councillors and representatives from social services.
Last summer, Loch Ness Homes unveiled proposals to build 80 homes at a nearby 13-acre site at Kilmore.
A quarter of the homes would be affordable in the £10million development, which was expected to create about 70 jobs.
Several shops and a care home were also envisaged for the site, which was close to the existing primary and secondary schools, village hall and church.
