Peter de Savary has announced that he is selling the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch in the Highlands.

The entrepreneur bought the 23-bedroom hotel, which overlooks the famous Royal Dornoch golf course, in 2006 with the intention of turning into a world-class holiday facility.

He moved in when the hotel closed following the liquidation of previous owner, the London and Edinburgh Swallow Group, which led to 27 job losses.

Architects produced plans for a refurbishment and expansion that de Savary said would have allowed for the employment of 40 staff. Following that planning permission was obtained from the local authority.

But de Savary – a previous owner of Skibo Castle and Bovey Castle - has now indicated that the hotel will be put up for sale again without re-opening.

A spokeswoman for de Savary said: "The Royal Golf does not fit in with our corporate strategy. We are concentrating on our properties in the south-west."

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By Andrew Smith

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