Flamingo Land has been warned not to appeal Loch Lomond national park’s rejection of its bid for a huge holiday resort on the shores of the Bonnie Banks. Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer said it was time for the Yorkshire theme park operator to “concede the mega-resort will never happen” after the National Park board unanimously rejected its plans at a meeting in Balloch in September.
However, the developers have until Monday to file an appeal against the decision with the Scottish Government. The proposed 46-acre ‘Lomond Banks’ resort, which would have built 104 woodland lodges, two hotels, a waterpark, monorail, 372 car parking spaces, shops and more on the iconic shoreline, was hugely controversial with locals and green groups.
The Daily Record was in attendance at the crunch board meeting in Lomond Parish Church, Balloch, on September 16 which saw the planning application thrown out. The marathon six-hour public meeting into the £40million bid eventually ended in failure for the developers, with Park Authority board members rejecting it by 14 votes to 0.
It marked a momentous victory for activists who had fought the proposals for nearly a decade. Local MSP Greer, a longtime campaigner against the plans, said ahead of Monday’s appeal deadline: “I hope that Flamingo Land finally see sense and finally drop their daft, destructive and unanimously rejected plans for good.
“They have put the people of Balloch through far too much stress and anxiety over the last decade. Now is the time to concede that the mega-resort will never happen.
“Their proposals have always been unwanted, unworkable and completely unsuitable for a world-famous location like Loch Lomond.” But in an olive branch to developers, Greer said the historic Woodbank House in Balloch – currently owned by Flamingo Land – could still be redeveloped with the right plan.
He added: “The House is in a sorry state of disrepair and there is a strong desire locally to see it restored. If the developers have plans to do that in a more suitable manner, I would be happy to speak to them and I am sure the Community Council would too.”
A petition campaign led by Greer and the Greens against the wider plans garnered more than 155,000 signatures, which the party said made it the most objected-to planning application in Scottish history. Planners at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park recommended to board members ahead of September’s showdown meeting that the application not go ahead.
They concluded the scale of the proposal was too large for the area and went against the park’s aim to preserve the “natural and cultural heritage” of the Bonnie Banks. Developers and other advocates had insisted it would help economic regeneration in the area by boosting jobs and tourism.
An earlier bid by Flamingo Land to build a Loch Lomond resort was abandoned in 2019 amid local opposition, with developers returning with a fresh proposal in 2022. Scottish Government ministers have the power to call in local planning decisions if they feel it’s in the national interest.
Flamingo Land was asked for comment.
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