Plans for £40m tourist resort at Loch Lomond have been outlined in leaflets to residents

Flamingo Land bosses have started a leaflet campaign to persuade residents of the value of a £40m “tourist resort” with more than 200 rooms and a monorail on the shores of Loch Lomond.

The Yorkshire-based firm published its application to build the £40m destination after making “fundamental changes” to its original plans.

The site is set to include up to 60 apartments, a budget hotel with up to 32 beds, 127 self-catering holiday lodges, and the restoration and redevelopment of Woodbank House as a 21 self-catering holiday apartments on Lomond Banks.

The site, situated at Pier Road, Ben Lomond Way would also sport a leisure pool, waterpark, spa, restaurants, hot food cafe, retail areas, a pub, visitor reception, play areas, picnic setting, monorail and associated access and parking.

It comes after an application to transform the site into a holiday destination was thrown out two years ago, when more than 50,000 objections were lodged about the plans.

The information leaflets dropping through doors will be hoping to stop many of the objections, while there have been suggestions some locals would welcome the investment – and West Dunbartonshire council have said they will “be on listening mode” before deciding whether to object.

The application in principle means the organisation is looking for an agreement that the proposed development is acceptable – but there are already several objections from concerned local residents that the development would take away from the natural habitat, destroy the homes of wildlife and biodiversity.

So far the general consensus is that locals must band together to protect the environment, prevent an increase in traffic in the area and protect the “natural beauty” of the site.

One local resident, who works in the area but does not want to be named, said that although the investment could be good for Balloch, the general feeling was that they did not want it.

They said: “We received a flyer through the post about the proposals from Flamingo Land. There was a lot of controversy regarding the initial plans a few years ago and I am not sure if this new approach will appease the locals either.”

The Scottish Greens have also relaunched their campaign to block the application last week with local councillors for the area agreeing that the applicant will need to take into consideration the concerns of the local community before they receive the support of the council.

Another resident added: “If the Greens are against it – I am for it.”