Decision to be made on controversial £40m plans for Flamingo Land development at Loch Lomond

A decision will be made on a controversial £40m Flamingo Land development at Loch Lomond later this year, it has been confirmed.

A site visit, hearing and board meeting to determine the planning application at West Riverside and Woodbank House in Balloch – known as Lomond Banks – will take place on Monday, September 16 and will be held in public.

Members of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority Board agreed on Tuesday that the decision on the application will be taken by the board on that date.

The plans have attracted more than 94,000 objections with concerns raised about the impact that the development would have on traffic in the local area, and the proposed sale of publicly-owned ancient woodland to the developer.

The bid to build on the shore of Loch Lomond is the theme park operator’s second attempt after a previous application was dropped in 2019 after tens of thousands of objections were lodged.

The Scottish Greens previously described the latest planning application as “the most objected to application in Scottish planning history”.

Environmental watchdog SEPA were among those objecting. It demanded changes be made to remove lodges from part of the site designated as a floodplain as a result of a new Scottish Government planning policy that rules out new developments in areas at risk of flooding.

The latest documents submitted by Flamingo Land to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority include the developers’ response.

Developers claim that their plans are covered by an exception because the site is “previously used”, pointing to the fact that, until 1986, there had been a railway on that part of the site.

The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority said that given the high level of public interest in the application, careful consideration is being given to the arrangements for the hearing, which will be held at a suitable venue locally in Balloch and will be published on the National Park Authority website in advance.

A spokesperson for the National Park Authority said: “This application has not yet been decided. No position has yet been taken in support of or against this planning application. However, with high levels of public interest, we felt it would be useful to set out as early as possible the process for taking a decision.”

It added that officers now have all the information required to assess the application which will continue until the September hearing date.

“All submitted documents, consultee responses and representations from the public are being considered as part of the assessment,” it said.

Once the assessment phase has concluded, a report will be published that includes a recommendation to board members that they either approve or refuse the application.

That report will be published on the National Park Authority website in early September, in advance of the board meeting.

The spokesperson added: “Once the report has been published, those who have submitted formal comments on the application will be notified and given details on how they can request to speak at the public hearing.”

The Scottish Greens have welcomed news that a date has been set for the final decision on controversial proposals for a mega-resort on the shores of Loch Lomond at Balloch.

Ross Greer MSP said: “Flamingo Land’s destructive plans would scar this world-famous natural landscape, endanger precious wildlife, increase traffic on already dangerously congested roads and seriously threaten local small businesses.

“The community have fought against these proposals for almost a decade now, defeating the first application and collecting a record number of objections to this latest version. Now it’s time for the board of the National Park to stand up for Loch Lomond and for Balloch residents, reject these destructive plans and end almost a decade of misery for the local community.

“Objections can still be lodged. If you’ve not submitted your objection already, add your voice to our campaign and help us save Loch Lomond from the greed of this developer.”

Jim Paterson, development director for Lomond Banks, said: “We welcome today’s announcement from Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority confirming a date for determination of our planning application for Lomond Banks.

“This final stage follows on from more than two years of public consultations, positive liaison with the community, shaping the plans to meet the needs of the local area and complying with the relevant National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) policies, which were recently introduced.

“We believe our proposals will create a world class, sustainable tourist destination that is both fitting for the area and sympathetic to its important location at the gateway of Loch Lomond, as well as bringing numerous opportunities and investment for the region.

“We now look forward to the decision from Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority on September 16.”