Designed to have three distinct areas of operation, Tongue Social Care Hub will incorporate a 15-bed care home, as well as a healthcare admin centre and GP surgery on one site.

To be located next to the old St Andrew’s Church in the small Highland village, the hub would be built on the highest point of a hill opposite the Tongue Fire Station, accessed via the A838 road.

Thomson Gray worked with Wildland Limited, NHS Highland and the Highland Council on designs for the new facility, which will replace the existing Melvich and Caladh Sona care homes.

The project team of Oliver Chapman Architects, Urban Animation, Urban Pioneers, Narro, and Harley Haddow have created proposals to make the most of the facility’s natural backdrop, through views of the Kyle of Tongue from each residential apartment, as well as making private gardens to the rear accessible for users.

The project team said: “The care home is located entirely on a single upper level with views out the west and a safe, enclosed garden area to the east and a central courtyard that brings daylight and nature right into the heart of the building. Corridors will be much nicer than just spaces to get from A to B.

“There will be plentiful daylight, width to pass one another, views out to nature and carefully placed small scale intimate spaces to sit, read or talk to other residents and staff. They will link to external doors leading to secure, monitored, internal spaces that allow residents to take safe short walks in looped routes.”

In a meeting of the North Planning Applications Committee (NPAC) of the Highland Council, objections to the proposals were “over-scaled” and visually dominant”.

The committee approved the application.