Controversial Flamingo Land plans will not be recalled by Scottish ministers

Controversial Flamingo Land plans will not be recalled by Scottish ministers despite calls from other MSPs to intervene.

The Scottish Government has “no intention” of stepping in to re-evaluate the approval of plans to build a multi-million pound resort and water park development on the banks of Loch Lomond, according to Ivan McKee, minister for public finance.

The plans for Flamingo Land include a monorail, two hotels, 104 wooden lodges, up to 62 riverfront and woodland lodges, a pool, water park, and spa, restaurants, cafes, and shops, a craft brewery and beer tap hall, 372 parking spaces, outdoor event, performance and barbeque areas on the banks of Loch Lomond in Balloch, West Dunbartonshire.

The Government planning reporter granted the controversial Flamingo Land development “planning permission in principle” last week, overturning the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park’s decision to reject the proposals.

According to opponents, the decision flies in the face of more than 155,000 people who objected to the development.

Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer, one of the leading campaigners against Flamingo Land, challenged Scottish ministers to “call-in” the application and take on the decision-making role themselves on Tuesday afternoon.

“Flamingo Land’s mega resort proposal was opposed by a record 155,000 people. Objectors included the National Trust for Scotland, the Woodland Trust, Ramblers Scotland and SEPA, our national environment watchdog,” Greer told the Chamber.

“The national park’s own experts recommended refusal, and its board unanimously rejected it on the bases of flood risk, loss of nature and biodiversity and a conflict with the national park’s aims, which are set out in law. That has all now been overturned by an official.”

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie backed Greer’s challenge, adding that the A82 has “insufficient capacity to carry the volume of existing traffic, never mind more traffic being added to it”.

“The minister will know that the reporter’s decision flies in the face of expert evidence, the unanimous decision of the national park authority, the view of SEPA and the overwhelming majority of local people,” she said.

“I am bemused that the reporter’s opinion outweighs the opinions of all those ministerial appointees and expert agencies and, indeed, the view of my local community.”

However, McKee held firm and fully backed the Scottish Government reporter’s “expert opinion”, which he claimed was based on the evidence.

“The reporter has gone through the evidence and looked at it in the light of the planning regulations,” McKee said.

“All the issues that Ross Greer has raised have been considered in the report. He should go and read it and look at the 49 planning conditions and reflect on the reality of the decision that the reporter has reached.

McKee added: “It is an impartial expert view, and they reached a decision based on the evidence before them.”

For that reason, McKee said he did “not intend to recall this appeal”.

His comments come just hours after the Woodland Trust urged the minister to meet with them.

“Significant new development like this will expose the woodlands and their wildlife to indirect impacts that will both immediately, and gradually, degrade the ecosystem,” Woodland Trust director Alistair Seaman said in a letter.

“These woods are sensitive sites that are vulnerable to change and the wildlife species that rely on them are often slow to adapt to change.”

Scottish ministers have a general power to intervene in the determination of a planning application and call in an application to take on the decision-making role themselves.

In his argument, Greer pointed to a previous decision by the Alex Salmond-led Scottish Government to intervene and overturn the proposals made by President Donald Trump for a golf course in Aberdeenshire.

Final permission for Flamingo Land is subject to the satisfaction of all 49 conditions laid out by the planning reporter and a legally binding agreement between Lomond Banks and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority.