A group of Moray volunteers, who maintain a monument named after Admiral Lord Nelson, are planning to create a new glass viewing platform at the top of the structure.
If plans are approved, the Forres Heritage Trust will install observation equipment expanding the already 360-degree panoramic views of the countryside.
The tourist attraction, at the summit of Cluny Hill, was built in 1806-07 to commemorate the hero’s great victory at Trafalgar and is the most-northerly Nelson monument in the UK.
A raised toughened-glass platform would be constructed at the summit of the octagonal tower, adding an approximate additional two metres in height.
After climbing the 96 steps to the top of the 21-metre tower, visitors are rewarded with spectacular views, on a clear day, across the town and towards Findhorn Bay.
Owned by Moray council, the monument is run by the FHT and the organisation’s chairman George Alexander, said he hoped the platform would be open in time for the start of next year’s season.
He added: “Forres Events Limited have raised the funds for the project and have purchased a fine set of outdoor binoculars that will be mounted on a pole.
“The platform will be going on top of the flat roof of the spiral staircase, alleviating our current leaking roof problem.”
Nelson’s Tower is a well-known local landmark, but mystery surrounds the question of why Forres should be the first in the country to erect such a monument.
There have been a number of possible links suggested, such as Captain Grant, who settled in Forres after Trafalgar, and the possibility that timber from Forres played an important part in the fleet or that there were a number of seamen from Forres who took part in the battle.
After his victory over Napoleon’s fleet at Cape Trafalgar in Spain, October 21, 1805, Nelson became a national hero. He was killed during the battle and various memorials were set up around the country, including Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Monument on Carlton Hill, in Edinburgh.
The tower is open between 2pm and 4pm every day until the end of September.