A CAMPAIGN group has welcomed the rejection of planning permission which they say could harm a part of Loch Lomond.

Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs say the Wards Estate plans, which would have saw six buildings erected to cater for weddings, functions and overnight accommodation could damage the natural habitat of the area.

This week, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority rejected the plans.

Proposed to be based on the southern banks of the loch, the project would have fallen close to the nearby nature reserve.

Objections were lodged with the national park authority from the charity, as well as the RSPB, local community councils and residents.

Chairman James Fraser said: "We are pleased plans for this major development have at long last been rejected which means the special high value landscape and nature conservation qualities of the area that sweeps down to the southern shores of Loch Lomond near Gartocharn will be protected from further creeping suburbanisation.’’

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"The plans for a large functions venue and associated mansion houses and swimming pools were totally inappropriate in this scenic location and right next to the RSPB National Nature Reserve which is home to a rich variety of wildlife and an important staging post for migrating geese."

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An application was lodged several years ago, but further surveys and studies of the sensitive site have pushed the decision back.