Welbeck Estate plans to bring Salmon Bothy in Berriedale back into use as holiday accommodation
An unused 19th-century historic building could be converted into holiday accommodation as plans have been lodged to bring it back into use.
The Salmon Bothy at Berriedale has been vacant and uninhabitable for more than a decade, and the Welbeck Estate which owns the property says it has a strategy to ensure the upkeep of historic buildings.
It says the refurbished bothy will provide short-term holiday let accommodation for families visiting Caithness, including those travelling on the North Coast 500 route.
The village is also a popular stopping-off point on the John O'Groats Trail between Inverness and John O'Groats.
The Salmon Bothy is formed of two buildings, a larger two-storey structure with a smaller single-storey extension linking to an underground ice store. It would have been used during the height of the salmon and herring fishing industry in the area, but the estate says the village population has more than halved since that era.
The nearby Shore Cottages were refurbished by the Landmark Trust in 2011/12 and are currently used as holiday lets.
The Salmon Bothy is currently only accessible via a pedestrian footbridge, but the proposals include car parking for a maximum of two cars.
The detailed plans, which are under consideration by Highland Council, show a proposal to restore, reinstate and maintain the listed building and internally modernise it to make it suitable for accommodation.
In its present state, there are no inside bathroom facilities and there is only a "rudimentary" kitchen. The works would see a new internal staircase to connect the ground and first floor, and partition walls to create a three-bedroom property, including two bathrooms and a WC.
Skylights would be added to improve natural lighting to the first floor and changes made to ventilate and insulate the building sufficiently, but the estate would "maintain the character of the area".
In a justification document on behalf of the applicant, Welbeck Estates, the agent Neat says: "All of the proposed adjustments to the building, specifically the addition of bathrooms, internal connections of the ground and first floors and proposed roooflights, are required to achieve reasonable residential standards in order to bring the building back into use.
"Allowing the buildings to play an active role in the lives of local residents and economic activity of the local area will support the upkeep of the building, as well as promoting employment in the local area.
"All other works are associated with repair and maintenance of the existing building, and are therefore essential to prevent further deterioration of the building."
The planning application includes a change of use to residential as well as listed building consent.