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Councillors vote against Lomond Banks Flamingo Land development



The controversial Lomond Banks development – known as Loch Flamingo Land and backed by Scottish Enterprise – has been rejected by the local council.

However, the final decision will be made by the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park board. No date has been set for this decision because the consultation and statutory planning stages are still going on.

The plans include a 60-bedroom aparthotel, another 32-bedroom facility that the developers describe as budget accommodation, self-catering units and six private houses that are expected to sell for about £800,000 each. The beautiful, wooded stretch of shore was originally purchased by Scottish Enterprise for about £200,000.

In 2016, SE announced that the preferred bidder for the site was Flamingo Land, a developer best-known for a theme park and zoo in North Yorkshire. Scottish Enterprise insisted, however, that the development – now named Lomond Banks – would “clearly recognise the key sensitivities of developing within Scotland’s national parks”.

A spokesperson for Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority said: “An application of this scale is understandably going to attract a great deal of public and media interest. As the Planning Authority considering a live application we are limited in what we can say at this stage in the process. We assess the application against relevant planning policies, including those set out in our  Local Development Plan.  Until all the information has been considered, including responses from the public and statutory consultees such as SEPA, the local Community Council and relevant local authority departments, we are not in a position to make a recommendation to members of our Board about whether to approve or refuse the application.

“No determination date has been set for this application. Once a date has been confirmed it will be publicised and everyone who has submitted a representation to the application will be informed.”

Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer has welcomed West Dunbartonshire Council’s vote to recommend rejection of the proposals to turn part of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park into a Flamingoland resort. 

The Flamingoland bid was unanimously rejected at a council meeting last night. The council is the major statutory consultee in the planning process. 

The vote follows a public meeting in Balloch on Monday evening, where close to 300 local residents joined politicians in calling on the board to reject Flamingoland’s plans,

A campaign led by Greer, Greens MSP for the West of Scotland, has so far generated over 56,300 formal objections to the proposed development, making it the most unpopular planning decision in Scottish history.

Ross Greer said: “This is a huge moment for our campaign. I’m delighted that West Dunbartonshire Council has, despite the apparent recommendations of officials, listened to the overwhelming opinion of local residents and others across Scotland who value our national park and want to see these plans rejected. 

“Flamingoland is the most unpopular planning application in Scottish history. It would see public land in our national park sold off to a private developer, whose profits will disappear out of the community and whose own environmental impact assessment conceded major damage, including injury and death to red squirrels and otters, pollution of running and standing water and damage to ancient woodland. 

“With opposition growing to such unprecedented levels and now including the local council, as well as groups like the Ramblers and Woodland Trust, it’s clear that the National Park should reject the plans and protect this public land.” 



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