Plans for a rifle range in the hills of southern Scotland have been approved despite fears it could disturb the "quiet and seclusion" enjoyed by a nearby Buddhist monastery.

The Rokpa Trust - which runs the Samye Ling Tibetan Centre at Eskdalemuir - asked for the plans at Over Cassock to be rejected.

Councillors were told the site was about three miles (5km) from the monastery and that the majority of letters of support for the plans came from outside the area.

However, they decided they were happy with the conditions attached to the scheme and agreed that it could proceed.

The south of Scotland Tibetan centre was founded on the site of an old farmhouse at Eskdalemuir in 1967.

It was the first Buddhist monastery to be founded in Europe and students later included David Bowie and Leonard Cohen.

It has grown into a large complex for the study and teaching of Buddhism, with a vast temple at its heart.

A shooting range has operated on a limited basis a few miles away since 2017, using permitted development rights allowing alternative use for up to 28 days a year without planning permission.

Dumfries and Galloway Council's planning committee was asked to approve plans to form a permanent facility.

John Maxwell, representing the Rokpa Trust, said more than 30 people lived at the monastery permanently, with thousands staying on a temporary basis.

"There are people who want to follow the Buddhist path that have taken up residence in the valley so that they can be near to Samye Ling, and use the facilities which is essentially prayer, study, therapy, and interfaith," he said.

The Rokpa Trust also submitted a letter of objection, stating: "Samye Ling was established here in 1967 because the valley offered an environment suited to contemplation, meditation, retreat and religious practice.

"Through the dedication of generations of monks, nuns, volunteers and supporters, it has grown into an internationally recognised Buddhist centre, attracting visitors from across the United Kingdom and around the world."

It said people did not come simply to visit the monastery, they came to experience the valley itself.

"The peace, quiet and seclusion of the surrounding landscape are inseparable from the purpose for which the monastery exists and are intrinsic to the reason why so many visitors return again and again, year after year," it said.

Alistair Wood, head of planning with land management firm Savills, attended the meeting with Charles Cooper, who is operator of the rifle range facilities.

Wood said the farm had to diversify its income streams because it was currently making a loss.

He added: "As land owners with a long-standing interest in the success of this area, the applicants fully appreciate the peaceful nature of this, as much as everybody else.

"There is a balance that needs to be struck between protecting rural tranquility and allowing carefully-managed and controlled rural businesses to survive and develop."

The planning committee approved the plans with a series of conditions attached involving opening hours, calibre of weapons to be used and public warning measures.