Three luxury houseboats are to be permanently moored on Loch Lomond, after an absence of decades.

The Luss Estates Company has been given permission to moor the 45-ft boats at Aldochlay Bay, on the loch's west side.

Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority wants to diversify the range of holiday accommodation in the area.

Houseboats were a popular attraction on the loch from the turn of the 20th century, providing homes for local families.

They were immortalised in the works (inset) of Scottish Colourist painter George Leslie Hunter (1877-1931).

However, in the second half of the 20th century, the houseboats gradually gave way to more modern accommodation on land.

The last boats were abandoned and removed by the 1970s.

The new boats were hand crafted by Hertfordshire-based specialist, Eco Floating Homes.

The plans were opposed by the Loch Lomond Association (LLA), which has warned they will open the door to similar ventures that could prove hugely detrimental to the "scenic landscapes" in Scotland's first national park.

The £500,000 project is part of a wider multi- million pound strategy by Luss Estates to boost the local economy.

It follows last year's re-opening of the acclaimed Loch Lomond Arms Hotel, after a £3m refurbishment.

Sir Malcolm Colquhoun, 9th Baronet of Luss and chairman of Luss Estates, said: "Our new, 21st Century houseboats revive a much-loved tradition, albeit with a completely different standard of comfort.

"With the water of Loch Lomond gently lapping underfoot, these holiday houseboats will promise visitors a relaxing and refreshing experience unlike any other."

l For info, see www.lussestates.co.uk

caroline.wilson@ eveningtimes.co.uk