Stirling Sheriff Court heard that Glassingall House had become home to wildlife including bats and birds after lying vacant for two years prior to the incident.

A pre-planning application had been submitted for 135 holiday chalets and a sports complex at the site, although no demolition warrant had been requested at the time of the work.

Mr Kerr, 74, of Castlecary, near Cumbernauld, pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly destroying the nest of a blue tit while it was in use or being built, and damaging or destroying a bat roost at the estate - contravening the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act and the 1994 Conservation (Natural Habitats) Regulations by demolishing Glassingall House while the property contained a bat roost and a blue tit nest within the roof structure.

Sheriff Keith O’Mahony fined Mr Kerr £740 for failing to check that appropriate permissions and warrants were in place but did recognise that the contractor did not receive the appropriate information from his clients prior to the work.