A new visitor centre dedicated to the St Kilda archipelago, which is situated 41 miles (66km) off the west Scottish coast, is to be located at Mangurstadh in Uig, Isle of Skye.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CNES), the local authority that oversees the islands, has unveiled the Uig site as its preferred location for the centre based on the recommendations of an independent study carried out by Jura Consultants to examine the three shortlisted sites. Cleitreval in North Uist and Leverburgh in Harris were also put forward as potential locations for the St Kilda Centre, which could boast artefacts, films and archives dedicated to the World Heritage Site under the Uig group's proposals.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Uig group said: "We paid close attention to the criteria laid down at the outset and constructed our proposal accordingly. In particular, we emphasised the outstanding quality of our chosen site and the concept of 'accessible remoteness' which it could bring to the project. "We are acutely aware that all of the bodies which were represented on the working group now have to approve the recommendation. Therefore, we will keep working very hard to secure that result while also taking forward our plans for the future."

Angus MacCormack, chair of the St Kilda Centre Working Group, added: "This was a very difficult decision for the consultants to reach. All three site locations are viable and the potential for development strong in each area." The working group comprises representatives from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, CNES, gaelic arts agency Proiseact nan Ealan, VisitScotland and National Trust for Scotland, which manages St Kilda.