Loch Lomond Flamingo Land resort rejected by park authority

A controversial proposal to build a holiday resort on the banks of Loch Lomond has been rejected by the national park authority.

Theme park operator Flamingo Land wanted to build the £40m Lomond Banks resort - including a monorail, waterpark, hotel and restaurants.

But the proposal sparked opposition over issues including flood risk, increased traffic and impact on local businesses - with more than 174,000 signing a petition against it.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park authority board unanimously voted against the development, ruling that it did not comply with environmental and nature conservation policies.

More than 100 people were at the meeting at Lomond Parish Church in Balloch to hear the decision.

Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer, who was a long-standing critic of the plan, said the development would jeapordise the local economy and said most of the jobs created would not be full time roles.

He said the decision was a "huge victory" for the party's long-running campaign to save Loch Lomond.

Greer added: "Residents have been united against this daft plan from the start, stepping up to defend one of Scotland's iconic landscapes.

"After almost a decade, this is the result the community and campaigners deserve."

Stuart Pearce, 'director of place' for the Loch Lomond park authority, said it created "unacceptable risk" of flooding of the River Leven.

Local council representatives told the meeting they were "fatigued" by the long-running debate over the project, which was first proposed in 2018.

Lynne Somerville, of Balloch and Haldane Community Council, said it would "go against the very will of the people who live in the area".

However, the project developers said they were surprised that the scale of local investment had been described as “minor”.

Flamingo Land representative Fiona Robertson insisted it would have created a “significant” amount of economic growth and jobs.

Others in support of the plans included Rev Ian Miller, theinterim moderator at Lomond Parish Church of Scotland, who said that "if there is any increase in employment, I've got to vote for it for their sake."

Loch Lomond's park authority previously recommended rejecting the plans.

A 188-page report into the development stated that removing trees and woodland without replanting would fail to deliver the “significant biodiversity enhancements” needed for the National Parks’ response to climate concerns.

Environmental watchdog Sepa was also among those to object to the proposals earlier in the year, citing flood risks.

Earlier this year, West Dunbartonshire Counil said it neither opposed or supported the development, which had angered opponents of the plan.

Flamingo Land first submitted plans for the site in 2018, but withdraw them the following year after a wave of negative reaction.

It submitted updated plans in 2020, insisting the proposal would be a "major step away" from its other resorts, including a theme park and zoo in Yorkshire.

The park authority board ruled that the updated scheme still conflicted with both regional and national environmental policies.

Board convener, Dr Heather Reid, said: "Our national park partnership plan states that future development and infrastructure within the national park should support tackling the climate emergency and maximise opportunities to deliver or enable nature restoration.

“Ultimately, the board felt that this proposed development would not do that."