Last night. Lochardil Community Council agreed to oppose David Sutherland's development proposals for building on the historic Bogbain landscape.

A very grateful thanks is extended to all fifteen community councils who are supporting this campaign to protect this important part of our Highland heritage.

Beauly. Croy Dalneigh. Hilton. Holm. Inverness West. Inverness South. Kirkhill. Lochardil. Strathdearn. Strathnairn. Merkinch. Foyers & Stratherrick. Muirtown. Westhill. all in united opposition to Mr Sutherland's plans.

Of particular importance is the fact that prominent Highland Councillors from the Planning Committee have been in attendance at these meetings.

Provost William Smith, Councillors; Janet Home, Kathleen Matheson, Ron Lyon, Helen Carmichael, Angus Dick, Norrie Donald, Jimmy MacDonald, Jack Shiels, Roddy Balfour and Margaret Maclennan have all been informed and left in no doubt of the public feelings from the grass roots of our Highland community, that Sutherland's scheme must be rejected by the Planning Committee.

Merkinch, Westhill and Strathdearn community councils join with Strathnairn to back farmers campaign to maintain Bogbain beauty spot and keep it clear from building development.

Calls for public inquiry into relationship between Highland Council Planning Department, Inverness Courier and Mr David Sutherland's planning application for Bogbain.

Mr David Polson. Highland Council Planning Manager, has just written to the Inverness Courier alleging that an irregularity was recently exercised in the Courier when David Sutherland's contentious planning application for a new farmhouse, stables and a gate lodge was advertised in the Courier but "buried away" in the Sport section of the newspaper where it is suggested it was difficult to find by the general public.

The "irregularity" was exercised on 13-1-06 but only came to light after a meeting of Strathnairn Community Council at Farr hall on 23-1-06

Nine members of the community council, along with Highland Councillor Mrs Kathleen Matheson,The Daviot Church of Scotland minister,A representative from Forest Enterprise, A retired civil servant, A local business woman and the Bogbain farmer, all agreed that they had not seen a Public Notice referring to the fact that Mr Sutherland's application was contrary to the local plan or that it could affect the "settings of a listed building" Bogbain Farmhouse. Built 1832.

A search through Courier archives on 2-2-06 revealed the Public Notice had been published, but in the Sport section. Further searches on 7-2-06 revealed the fact that going back over the last fifty-five publications of a Friday Courier,the 13-1-06 edition was the one isolated time that a Public notice was"buried away" in the Sport section.

On Friday 3-2-06 Bogbain faxed a letter to Mr Peter Fowler the chairman of the Inverness Courier outlining his findings and concerns in the issue, but has so far received no acknowledgement.

Bogbain faxed Mr Fowler again on 14-3-06. This time the letter was addressed to his sporting lodge in the Highlands.No reply as yet.

On 18-2-06 Bogbain faxed the Courier Editor with a draft copy of a complaint that the farmer had ready for sending to the Advertising Standards authority but received no acknowledgement.

On 23-3-06 Bogbain faxed Courier again with letter headed " Disappointing Corruption of Standard Practice" No reply so far.

Highland Council and Inverness Courier ignore the issue until Bogbain placed a thirty foot long twelve feet high information trailer in field beside A9 alerting general public to scandal.

Three letters of representation to planning office go ignored until call is made to Mr rennilson on 5-3-06 and intimation is made that fresh information has come into the planning office dictating that another Public Notice must be placed in the Inverness Courier.

A check in the Sutherland file in Planning Office Church St reveals that the "additional information " is nothing more than a simple College of Agriculture report or what is called an Operational Needs Assessment. This is not something that warrants a Public Notice advert at all.

This is nothing more than a lame excuse to publish part of the "buried" notice in its proper place.

It is not even a new report. It is dated June 2005. Someone must think Courier readers all came off the last banana boat.

If Mr Sutherland and the Courier Editor think that this little trick will work then they must dream on. My letter of complaint registered with the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is still a very live issue because Highland Council are still failing to direct Inverness Courier to advertise the whole Public Notice where it would be viewed by the general public.

My letter of complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority regarding the failure of the Inverness Courier is still a very live issue because the Editor is still refusing to publish the whole Public Notice where it would be viewed by the general public. The Public Notice published on 13-1-06 contained details of fifteen planning applications. Fifteen planning applications that Courier readers were denied considering. What has happened to this once great newspaper? Has it been Tulloched?

The College reportdiscloses proposals for Farm Shop. Cattle sheds, and self catering tourist facilities. This inspires Bogbain to write to HC asking for detailed plans for such proposals to be made available to the public before the "new" application is advertised.

Request is ignored while a "new" Public Notice for farmhouse, stables and gate lodge is published in Courier 24-3-06. Letter faxed to Mr Grey immediatly asking why was the inquiry that I faxed to him on 15-3-06 not acknowledged.

20-3-06 Westhill Community Council meeting. Attended by Highland Councillors, Kathleen Matheson and Janet Home. The Highland Councillors, who both sit on the Highland Council Planning Committee are made aware of the unanimous opposition in the Westhill meeting to Sutherland's proposals.

21-3-06 Dalneigh Community Council were made aware of the issue and agree to record their opposition to Mr Sutherland's planning application. Provost Smith in attendance.

A Campaign to stop David Sutherland Tulloch PLC building on farmland at Bogbain Of Inshes Inverness was launched on Monday 16/01/06 during a meeting of Westhill Community Council .

The land Mr Sutherland has chosen for his development is on part of the site that Mattar Enterprise offered the community some years ago for a new University for the Highlands along with a proposal to build five hundred houses on the landscape.

The agent chosen by Mr Sutherland to develop the Bogbain Project is the same agent that defied Highland Council Planning Control recently and insisted in fitting plastic windows instead of traditional steel windows in the refurbishment of Drumossie Hotel .An enforcement order was issued against the violation but so far the 130 windows at the heart of the issue remain unchanged.

Mr Sutherland's plans were lodged just as Highland Council offices closed for the festive holidays but the application carries a target date for a decision by 14-2-06 which means that time is running short to prevent consent.

Mr Sutherland has chosen a site for a new farmhouse with a block of stables and a gatehouse within the curtilage of Bogbain farmhouse which was built in 1832 and is an important listed building on the Inshes landscape.

National planning policy should be able to protect the SETTING of listed buildings and it is the Setting of the listed farmhouse that is under threat from Mr Sutherlands's present plans.

First to join forces with the campaign against Mr Sutherland has been the Inverness Civic Trust agreeing that the development is too large and in the wrong place.As a material condition of objection they note that the proposal is in breach of the local plan designation for the area.

Leading the campaign against Mr Sutherland thus far has been Brian Macgregor farmer. Bogbain of Inshes Inverness. Members of the wider community are invited to help with this campaign and the web site www Bogbain is being updated to allow the public to vote in the issue and also fax or e-mail their views on the matter for media publication.