A community association in Skye is the first to acquire land under a new scheme to transfer publicly-owned forestry assets.

Minginish Community Hall Association (MCHA) applied to purchase land close to the Fairy Pools, an increasingly popular tourist site, under the Community Asset Transfer Scheme (CATS) earlier this year.

The scheme is run Forestry Enterprise Scotland (FES) which agreed to transfer the land for £2,500 - a discount of £27,500 on the market value - because of the public benefit that will be delivered.

It submitted a request in August to purchase 12.3 hectares of land including the Fairy Pools car park and surrounding area.

MCHA intends to expand car parking facilities, alleviating long-term concerns for tourists and residents, as well as installing new visitor facilities.

Tourism secretary Fiona Hyslop made the announcement while visiting to Skye.

“I am delighted Forest Enterprise Scotland have agreed to the sale of this land, which will help the local community respond to the pressures and opportunities that comes with having a world-class attraction like the Fairy Pools on your doorstep,” she said.

“We recognise the recent surge in interest seen by some of our tourism sites, particularly in rural locations. That is why we recently announced a new £6 million Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund.

“Alongside the Skye strategic group, the Scottish Government will continue to do all we can to support sustainable growth in tourism, working in partnership with local communities – in Skye, throughout the Highlands & Islands and across Scotland.”

Julie Burnett, a director of MCHA, described the move as a “key milestone”.

She added: “The community benefit of the land transfer and the overall project cannot be overstated. Both residents living in Glen Brittle and future visitors to the Fairy Pools will benefit from the proposal to expand and improve the existing small car park."