A LEADING campaigner against the controversial plans for a £40 million tourism development on the banks of Loch Lomond has urged MSPs to back his fight against the proposals.

Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer asked for the support of fellow parliamentarians during a debate at the Scottish Parliament.

Revised plans for the West Riverside and Woodbank House sites in Balloch - which it has named 'Lomond Banks' - were lodged with National Park officials last month.

The resubmission came after the original plans were withdrawn in 2018 following 60,000 objections.

The new plans include 127 woodland lodges, a water park, hotel, monorail and much more on mainly publicly owned land on the shore of Loch Lomond.

In his opening speech during the Holyrood debate, Mr Greer told MSPs the new plans for the sites look “eerily familiar”.

He said: “Balloch and the wider National Park need to see significant improvements to public transport services, not doubling down on car-centric developments.

"Flamingo Land’s plan is frankly, boring, generic and expensive. It does nothing to enhance Balloch’s position as a gateway to a national park.

"It is not what we need to support the economy and it is certainly not what we need to tackle the climate emergency.

"No real consideration has been given to the local community or the environment. I want to encourage members across all parties, as well as any members of the public watching, to join me in lodging strong objections to these plans.

"Our campaign’s commitment to save Loch Lomond is unwavering. And I ask everyone who feels the same to join us. Help us win this fight once again.”

In June, James Paterson, Lomond Banks' development director, said: “Our intention is to create a tourism and leisure resort that families can come and enjoy as part of their Loch Lomond/Balloch experience, not exclusively so.

"With this in mind, we wholly appreciate that ensuring access to the area is paramount to creating those strong links with the local community.

“These plans are within a location that for a long time has been designated for such a development, and we believe we have struck the right balance between bringing strong economic growth and employment opportunities to the area, being ecologically sensitive to the natural surroundings and ensuring Lomond Banks is something that everyone will be able to enjoy.

“We have consulted within the local community extensively over the last 12 months and have welcomed a lot of support for the plans, in particular around our accessibility pledge.”