Residents were able to view plans for a £3.5million care home on the Black Isle yesterday.
Parklands Group wants to build a 40-bed care home in Fortrose, creating around 50 jobs.
Images of the proposed care home were on display yesterday at the Black Isle Leisure Centre.
The facility, proposed for a site on Ness Road, could open at the end of next year.
The firm, which operates seven facilities in Moray, Tain and Muir of Ord, claims it will generate £1million for the local economy by taking on a local workforce and using local construction suppliers.
A planning decision for the development is expected at the end of this month, but the community council has objected to the plans over its green site location, which is not in the local development plan.
Kathleen Patience, 69, of High Street, Fortrose, whose husband Lewis has Alzheimer’s disease, said the development is “very much needed”.
She added: “There is nothing in the Black Isle, even for respite care.
“I am very disappointed the community council have objected to it. They have had several meetings before to ask about care in the community and they object to something when Parklands Group are willing to get behind a home here.”
James Grant, 67, of Ness Road, Fortrose, said: “I think it is needed but it is in the wrong location. They are building on agricultural land and that should not be done. For me it is speculative development. It is a profit making organisation wanting to build it for money.
“They could have built it on the Ness gap site where they are putting up new houses.”
A spokesman for Parklands Group at yesterday’s exhibition said: “What we are hearing from people is that there is a desperate shortage of care homes in the area and people are already asking about signing up and there is clearly a strong demand for it.
“It is a £3.5million capital project but it will bring wider benefits to the area.
“There will be 50 full time equivalent qualified staff drawn from the community. The company does not use agency staff, and that in itself will generate £1million.”