Work to turn the former courthouse in Kingussie into a new base for council and police staff is close to completion.
The £2.1million redevelopment was approved more than two years ago and was originally due to be completed last summer.
The Press and Journal has learned that the scheme is now finally due to be finished in the next few weeks.
Highland Council insisted last night that there had been “no delay”, and revealed that the handover of the offices would go ahead at the end of next month.
Local authority staff will then be “preparing” to move in to the facility in August.
Under the plans, a total of 33 workers from Highland Council’s three separate offices in the town were due to be brought under the same roof.
The council service point will also be housed in the revamped category B-listed building, as well as the local police office.
Built in 1865, the old court house had been vacant for more than a decade and suffering from “serious structural issues and dry rot” since 2008.
The redevelopment plans were approved by Highland Council and Cairngorms National Park in 2014, with the work scheduled at the time to be completed by mid-2015.
Kingussie Community Council backed the plans to bring the building back into use at the time, but raised fears that the character of the listed building could be lost during the regeneration.
Badenoch and Strathspey councillor Bill Lobban said last night: “As far as I am concerned it is a positive move if it helps make the service more accessible.”
The new building will replace council offices at Ruthven Road, King Street, the High Street, and the service point by the rail station.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “There is no delay in the completion of the Kingussie offices – the handover of the offices will go ahead at the end of July and council staff will be preparing in August to move in.”