D-day for Flamingo Land plans as meeting date revealed at last

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park has said a meeting to determine the Flamingo Land plans will be held on Tuesday, September 24.

Initially, rumours had swirled about the date of the decision, with the most likely time being the end of August for a decision.

The Yorkshire-based firm is looking to build more than 120 self-catering lodges, a brewery, a water park and a monorail from the site to Station Square in Balloch.

If passed, the plans will also see Riverbank House refurbished, and used as a residential development.

A day prior to the meeting, at Alexandria Parish Church, members of the board of the national park authority will be taken on a site visit, in a bid to better understand the landscape of the area, and how the proposed development would fit in.

As part of the meeting process, a public hearing will also be held, where people who have made comments on the application already will be able to the apply to speak before the board, and ensure their feelings are heard on the application.

A report from officers at the national park will also be made available to the public at the beginning of September.

The report will contain the recommendations of officers on whether the proposals should be approved or thrown out.

A statement from the national park authority said: “The public hearing and Board meeting to determine the planning application for the proposed development at West Riverside and Woodbank House, Balloch will take place at Alexandria Parish Church Hall on Tuesday 24th September 2019.

“To allow National Park Board Members to gain a greater understanding of the application, a site visit will also take place on Monday 23rd September. A site visit provides the best opportunity for Members to fully understand the context and characteristics of the site and how the development proposals relate to these.”

The proposals have been contentious since they were first lodged last year, with numerous public meetings and protests being held to voice public opinion against the plans.

Activists and the developers have traded blows in recent months, with Flamingo Land boss Andy Miller branding anti-development campaign literature "sensationalised".

More than 57,000 objections have been lodged with the national park authority, off the back of a campaign by the Scottish Greens, spearheaded by West of Scotland MSP Ross Greer.

Mr Greer and his party were responsible for setting up an online platform, which sends an objection to the authority.

Neighbouring West Dunbartonshire Council has also voiced their dissatisfaction at the plans, with a unanimous vote against an officer recommendation to back the proposal.

At a meeting at the end of June of the council, cross-party agreement was gained for a motion by leader Jonathan McColl.

Our sister paper the National reported how Mr McColl has formally written to the Scottish Government, urging them to call in the application for review.

Flamingo Land, and their co-applicants Scottish Enterprise, claim the proposals would be a benefit to the area, stimulating economic development and tourism.

However, Save Loch Lomond, a campaign group set up to oppose the development, have said the battle they are currently locked in is about “who owns Scotland”.

The group has also warned, if the plans are allowed, it could be a green light for other developers to attempt to build on Scotland’s public space in the future.