Plans for Flamingo Land resort in Loch Lomond take step forward as West Dunbartonshire Council gives go-ahead

Plans to build a Flamingo Land resort on the banks of Loch Lomond have taken a step forward after being given the green light by the local authority.

West Dunbartonshire Council has given its support for the proposal despite the fact it has attracted over 85,000 objections.

The local authority is a statutory consultee of the proposal, alongside the likes of SEPA and NatureScot, with their response to be considered by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park who will make a final decision on whether the development can go ahead.

The controversial £40m proposals by Yorkshire-based Flamingo Land to build a tourist and visitor complex – including two hotels, self-catering lodges, a monorail and water park – have been met by widespread opposition.

The Scottish Greens have described the development as the most unpopular planning application in Scottish history.

Opponents say it will add traffic to an existing “congestion hot-spot”, and turn open greenspace into a branded holiday park.

Earlier this month, Scottish MSP Ross Greer branded Flamingo Land bosses “grossly irresponsible” after plans were revised to estimate that there would be an increase of 253 additional vehicles during the peak hour of 5.30pm and 6.30pm.

He added: “Balloch does not want or need over 100 woodland lodges and almost 400 parking spaces, never mind a waterpark, hotel and monorail scarring one of Scotland’s most iconic landscapes.

“These plans go against national and local planning policy on just about every conceivable level, which should make it easy for the National Park’s board to reject them and end the near-decade of stress and anxiety faced by local residents.

“Instead of choosing to avoid building on a flood plain, Flamingo Land has decided to argue words and definitions with our national environmental watchdog. The fact that this part of the site had a railway on it 40 years ago will be irrelevant when it’s underwater.”

However, Flamingo Land and Lomond Banks say the development will “create economic growth, investment, jobs and an infrastructure that will benefit the local community and beyond”.

They have created the “Lomond Promise” which sets out pledges to ensure their commitment to Balloch and the wider area.

The current application is for permission in principle, meaning an official application for permission is yet to be lodged.

If given approval, a further detailed application will then be submitted and approved before any work on the development could start.

The public and statutory consultees will be given another opportunity to comment on the application during this stage.

A spokesperson for Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park said: “West Dunbartonshire Council is a neighbouring planning authority and also delivers services such as roads in the local area of the application site. So their responses, as well as those from other statutory consultees such as SEPA, will be considered as part of officers’ assessment of this planning application.

“We have also received further information recently, mostly related to flooding and traffic matters. We have a duty to formally notify the public and further consult with statutory consultees on this new information and will do so in the coming weeks.

“This will allow officers to progress with their assessment, prepare a report and make a recommendation to the National Park Authority Board. The final decision will be taken at a public meeting and hearing. Exact timelines for that meeting to determine the application will become clearer once this final round of consultation is complete.”