A community buy-out has been given the go-ahead for the former outdoor centre at Castle Toward, in Argyll.

The Scottish Government has given its consent for campaigners to take control of the estate from its council owners after years of wrangling over its future.

Once the old Glasgow Corporation's flagship recreation centre for schoolkids, Castle Toward, on the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula, has become increasingly rundown since a local authority bid to turn it in to a hotel failed.

The South Cowal Community Development Company, formed in 2010 in an earlier attempt to buy the estate, has already won £750,000 from the Scottish Government-backed Scottish Land Fund. However, the property has been valued at £1.85m by the district valuer, leaving the campaign short.

Alan Stewart, a local businessman leading the Save Castle Toward campaign, said: "We are now asking Argyll & Bute Council to cut £1m from their price."

The campaign has already found an undisclosed tenant for the Grade B listed mansion and has plans for its own community cafe and craft centre. Campaigners hope to create 80 jobs in total and inject £850,000 a year into the local economy. Total capital investment could reach £10m, he said.