A TOP environmental planning expert could be hired by objectors to scrutinise Flamingo Land’s £30 million leisure master plan for Balloch.

Green MSP Ross Greer has launched an online ‘crowdfunder’ in a bid to hire the services of Ian Cowan of Highland Environmental Law.

The appeal for funds was launched on Friday evening and by Monday afternoon it had raised just over £2,000 from people opposed to the “Lomond Banks” development.

Mr Greer said: “The national park authority will make a decision on the future of the Flamingo Land proposal in the next few months.

“To make sure they make the right decision, we want to commission Mr Cowan to dissect the thousand page Flamingo Land proposal.

“On behalf of all of us, Ian will submit a report to the national park authority which clearly lays out all the grounds on which this application should be rejected.”

This new development comes after the MSP achieved his aim, announced last week, of delivering 50,000 objections, which is believed to be a record number lodged against a planning application in Scotland.

This includes 49,025 lodged via the MSP’s website, and around 1,000 submitted independently.

Around 10,000 flooded in after the developer went public with their revised plans last week.

Read more: Flamingo Land unveils 'Lomond Banks' name, first images

Speaking after Flamingo Land submitted their masterplan to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, Mr Greer said: “The success of tourism at Loch Lomond comes from the world-famous natural beauty of our national park.

“For the sake of a private developer’s profit margins, that world-famous natural beauty and many jobs and businesses currently dependent on it are now at risk.

“Flamingo Land’s own impact assessment was clear about water pollution, destruction of ancient woodland, harm to protected species and much more.

“Between that environmental damage and huge local concerns about the impact on roads and access to what is now, but would no longer be, public land, it’s no wonder that 40,000 people have already objected.

“I hope people will speak up louder than ever in saying no to Flamingo Land and support the calls for the land to be taken into local community hands instead.”

In a statement, the Yorkshire-based company said the development, on a 49-acre site at West Riverside, would transform an area of Balloch currently marked for tourism development in the local plan.

The plan is for a variety of family accommodation facilities, including a 60-bedroom apart-hotel, 32-bedroom budget accommodation, 131 self-catering units, six private houses and 15 apartments.

Facilities for visitors and the local community, including a craft brewery, boat house, leisure centre and restaurants are also envisaged.

The project, with an anticipated completion date of 2024, expects to bring as many as 80 full-time and 50 part-time jobs and up to 70 seasonal posts.

Read more: Changes made to £30m Flamingo Land plan for Loch Lomond

The company’s bid for planning permission in principle was initially lodged in May 2018.

Previously, more than 200 people attended a two-day consultation at Loch Lomond Shores, when concerns were raised about roads infrastructure, environmental impact and potential loss of ancient woodland.

Residents also expressed concerns about the volume of traffic, access issues and the principle of publicly owned land in a world-famous national park being sold to a private developer.

The company says some initial design strategies have been changed following public consultation.

A viewing tower has been removed from the proposals and assurances have been given that access to all key destinations and routes through the site are to be maintained during construction.

Andy Miller, director of Lomond Banks, said: "We are fully committed to seeing Balloch become the true gateway to Loch Lomond.

"Our plans for West Riverside and Woodbank House offer an opportunity for a unique leisure-based development and with Lomond Banks, Scotland will have a quality destination that respects and compliments the surrounding areas."

Click here for all the latest news from Dumbarton and the Vale