Environmentalists have lost their latest legal challenge against plans for almost 2,000 homes in a national park.
The Cairngorms Campaign opposes four housing developments put forward in the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s local plan.
The construction of up to 1,500 homes at An Camas Mor, near Aviemore, 300 at Kingussie, 117 at Carrbridge and 40 at Nethy Bridge could threaten the area’s heritage and wildlife, the group says.
It launched a legal challenge against the plans at the Court of Session, which was rejected by judge Lord Glennie in September.
An appeal against that judgment was also dismissed on Wednesday.
Campaign spokesman Craig Macadam, director of conservation charity Buglife Scotland, said: “This ruling is a major setback not just for the protection of ‘protected’ wildlife, landscape and heritage in the Cairngorms but potentially for future assessments throughout the European Union where it set a precedent for inadequate assessment of sites before their destruction.”
Grant Moir, chief executive of Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “We welcome the court’s judgment in relation to the Cairngorms National Park local plan, which reaffirms the court’s rejection of all the grounds of challenge to the local plan.
“The local plan, therefore, remains in place as it stands.”