A Ross-shire village is up in arms after council officials granted permission for timber lorries to pass through their village.
Large loads of extracted timber are set to be driven through Edderton despite road safety objections from local councillors, residents and the village community council.
Heavy trucks will wend along the narrow and winding single-track Admiral’s Farm Road to the A836, and pass Edderton Primary School.
Highland Council have granted permission for up to 14,000 tonnes to be moved from Casandamff Forest in order for an alternative cross country route to be constructed via the B9176 Struie Road.
Applicant Fountain Forestry have said they will seek to minimise disruption, including not running trucks when children are going in and coming out of school.
But local residents want the off-road route built first to avoid trucks in the village.
Bill Shannon, a former chairman of Edderton Community Council who lives on Admiral’s Farm Road, said: “The planners and Fountain Forestry are riding roughshod over this village.
“They are changing the rules as they go. Originally the plan was for them to take out thinnings from Casandamff Forest, at a rate of two 40 or 50-tonne loads per day.
“We could be looking at 14 or 15 months of forestry traffic at the very least. This is dangerous and unacceptable. And it is unnecessary.
“There is an alternative way out of the forest and this is where they should go.”
Councillor Graham Phillips, East Sutherland and Edderton, said he had written to the Forestry Commission about his concerns before learning that the council planners had signed off the route.
He added: “It’s a poor job that’s been done but now I’m afraid that we could be stuck with it.”
A spokeswoman for Highland Council said: “We have reached an agreement with the developer over responsibility for damage to the road and verges by the timber lorries.
“We will monitor the road carefully and take action if the road appears to be suffering excess damage.”
Douglas Murray, regional manager for Fountain Forestry, said: “As with all harvesting operations we have consulted with the local authority roads department seeking advice on how to go about taking the timber out and the route they suggested involved going through the village.”