The Scottish Government hopes the changes will make huts and bothies 'more affordable to build'

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The plans will sit alongside the SNP's radical countryside reforms which include giving communities the power to seize privately-owned land if it falls into disrepair.

The Scottish Government hopes the changes will make huts and bothies "more affordable to build", adding: "Therefore greater numbers may to be built allowing more people the opportunity to use them."

Under the proposals, which were put out to consultation last week, "single storey detached huts and bothies up to 30m2" will be exempt from the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Although a few basic requirements would be kept in place, such as fire safety, the new approach would give a green light to thousands of would-be hutters.

The plans have been drawn up in response to the "Thousand Huts" campaign launched in 2013 by pressure group Reforesting Scotland.

The Mountain Bothies Association is also backing the campaign, which has won enthusiastic support from both Planning Minister Derek Mackay and Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead.