�I went to Scotland and found nothing there that looked like Scotland.� Holyrood quotes Holywood as Arthur Freed, the producer of Brigadoon is cited in moves to prevent the same kind of disappointment for future visitors.

"I went to Scotland and found nothing there that looked like Scotland."

Holyrood quotes Holywood as Arthur Freed, the producer of Brigadoon, the 1954 film that once defined Scotland internationally, is cited in moves to prevent the same kind of disappointment for future visitors.

A new code is being devised by the Scottish Government aimed at building Scottishness into Scottish buildings, and also at reflecting the specific local character of housing.

It is hoped the code will guide householders who want to make alterations that do not fall within local authority planning jurisdiction.

Homeowners are allowed to make certain changes without going through the lengthy planning process, such as extensions that stretch only a metre from the original building and those that do not affect the overall height of the house.

Endorsing the book Tomorrow's Architectural Heritage, in which Freed is quoted, architectural expert Charles McKean said: "The urgent necessity for a book such as this is caused by the combination of cultural deracination, a loss of intuition, and a morbid eagerness to devalue architecture and design."

Research for the book found that Scottish homes should reflect some level of their surroundings, and the publication followed a 10-year research programme into national and local characteristics of Scottish rural buildings between about 1750 and 1914.

The survey sampled 23,000 buildings at random across the entire country, and the first observation was that unique local styles are far less discernable in Scottish villages than in English ones.

However, although it was "rare indeed" to find any building that provided an exact "identikit" picture corresponding to the image revealed by the analysis, local traits could be defined to a degree and these could be included in development.

The research also drew on Buildings of the Scottish Countryside by Robert Naismith.

Naismith identified a similar discipline to that inherent in the Greek and Roman styles and analysed by Vitruvius, a famous first century Roman architect, as "Eurhythmy".

The document stated: "While such theories might have seemed only applicable to large buildings, he (Naismith) emphasises that this is not the case in Scotland and that the most simple of traditional buildings follows certain rules of proportion."

It continued: "Naismith is unable to suggest for certain why traditional Scottish buildings follow such rules, but it is known that Renaissance influence came to the Scottish court in the sixteenth century and that the skills and knowledge of the building trade found their way into all parts of the country."

Now the Scottish Government wants to help build on traditions that are in danger of disappearing.

The document also stated: "It is true to say that design codes have been in existence for a long time. They were the basis on which the strong discipline of the layout and design of Edinburgh New Town, for example, was achieved.

The researchers concluded: "With regard to the local design dimension, it was noted that a Scottish building style is discernible for basic building proportions only.

"If one of the priority aims in rolling out extended permitted design limits is to achieve improved design quality, local design guidance will be necessary to convey appropriate design objectives, fit for context."

The recommendations will now be considered by the Scottish Parliament.