PLANS have been unveiled to demolish a long-established hotel - and one of Dumbarton and the Vale's most popular night-spots - and to replace it with flats.

The owners of the Lomond Park Hotel in Balloch have asked for permission to pull down the hotel and build a three-storey block, including 26 homes and a shop, in its place.

An application to the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority says the hote "has been, and will continue to be, operating at a considerable loss in commercial terms".

A planning statement in support of the application says there is "no market interest for the existing use as a hotel or tourism business".

The hotel has been forced to significantly scale back its operations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the impact Covid-19 has had on the local and national hospitality industry.

The statement in support of the plans, drawn up by Fife-based Gray Planning and Development Ltd, also says the hotel's viability will be put at even greater risk if the potential major development at the nearby West Riverside and Woodbank House site – currently in limbo after the withdrawal of the £30 million 'Lomond Banks' development proposal in September 2019 – goes ahead in a revised form.

The planning statement explains: "The proprietor has had to contribute her own funds to maintain solvency and works in the hotel for very long hours with little reward.

"The proprietor has attempted to sell the business in recent times without success.

"A further blow to viability is the considerable stress of existing public health and social-distancing measures put in place because of coronavirus – i.e. reduced capacity for hospitality services, reduced operating hours, reduced custom, and the compounded and hence very considerable impact these measures have on the business’s existence."

The application proposes a mixture of one- and two-bedroom flats, which the supporting statement says tackles the issue of the supply of starter homes for first-time buyers in the area.

The statement adds: "Where the proposal does not fully comply with the development plan, then the supporting and justification statements address these matters and clearly demonstrate the case.

"This is made specifically in relation to the loss of hotel, the need for starter or first time homes, the need for affordable homes, the benefits to the public realm and wider environmental amenity with new high quality designed place on this prominent location."

Comments on the plans can be made until November 24; a decision is expected on or by December 19.

To view the proposals in detail, search the National Park Authority's planning website for the application code 2020/0266/DET.