Loch Lomond Flamingo Land resort plan 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 a £40m resort - including a monorail, waterpark, hotel and restaurants - on the land since 2018.

The proposal sparked local opposition, with more than 174,000 people objecting to the plans due to factors such as flood risk, additional traffic and impact on businesses.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNPA) board voted against the plans following a visit to the site.

More than 100 people gathered at Lomond Parish Church in Balloch to hear the decision, while earlier protestors gathered at the site itself.

Stuart Pearce, 'director of place' for the LLTNPA, said the proposal created "unacceptable risk" of flooding of the River Leven.

And community council representatives told the meeting they were "fatigued" by the long-running debate over the land.

Lynne Somerville, of Balloch and Haldane Community Council said the development would "go against the very will of the people who live in the area" and that it would have a detrimental effect on local businesses.

Ross Greer, the Scottish Green MSP who was a long-standing critic of the plan, said the development would pose a risk to the local economy and that more than half of the jobs created would not be full time workers.

At the meeting, the 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.

Those in support of the development included Rev Ian Miller, the interim 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."

The park authority previously recommended rejecting the plan, expressing concern over flood risks and the impact on the surrounding environment.

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

Environmental watchdog the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) was among those to object to the proposals earlier in the year, citing flood risks.

Earlier this year, West Dunbartonshire Council did not oppose or support the Lomond Banks development, which 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 not be a theme park and would be a "major step away" from their other resorts, including a theme park and zoo in Yorkshire.

That did not convince some locals, who told BBC Scotland News earlier this year that if the proposal went ahead it would be a "living hell" for people living in the area.