The last full council meeting on June 26, before the summer holidays, was long and eventful.

The recommendation by council officers to support the building of Lomond Banks (Flamingo Land) was unanimously overturned.

The Leader of the Council and myself first met with Andy Miller of Flamingo Land in August 2017.

On seeing the scale of the project, I met with Scottish Enterprise a month later in September, to question their reasons for partnering such an unsuitable development.

Had the proposal been conceived to prop-up Loch Lomond Shores, which struggles to be a commercial success?

It is extraordinary that Scottish Enterprise, the commercial arm of the SNP Scottish Government, should be so involved in a project that is totally at odds with its own Land Reform Policies and Community Engagement ideals.

It is now up to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park (LLTNP) planners to concentrate on the application and think carefully of the local population, of the image Scotland wishes to portray, and to bear in mind the aims of the National Park.

West Riverside is well used and enjoyed by the people of Balloch and visitors alike.

With some care and attention this ‘site’ could be tidied-up, fences mended, paths repaired, the car park re-surfaced, toilets incorporated into the Old Station Building and flower beds planted.

Within the LLTNP, planning policies are not rigorous enough to prevent applications coming forward that are out of scale and detrimental to the landscape of a National Park.

Wards outside Gartocharn had such a proposal turned down, after years of working with planners.

Balloch Country Park (pictured right) is dear to all who visit, and I am keen to bring forward ideas to use the castle either as a hotel or residential flats with a café and gallery on the ground floor, which could help fund replacement of the tree collection within the Park.

The slipway and the café could be upgraded, and a nature hub and countryside classroom could be built on the loch side to encourage everyone to learn more about the special area that we live in.

We have so much to enjoy here, let’s all make sure we look after it!