Loch Lomond Rescue Boat contractors face 'Flamingo Land' abuse

The workers have been clearing a site so that a million-pound development can take shape, enabling the rescue crew to respond more quickly in emergencies.

Volunteers at Loch Lomond Rescue Boat (LLRB) have called for support for the "life-saving" project in Balloch after the staff preparing the ground for the construction of its new facility were met with anger directed at the Flamingo Land proposals, according to the Lennox.

LLRB was founded in 1977, and its dedicated team of 20 volunteers has been primarily based in Luss. During peak periods and in hot weather, its crews can be delayed by up to 50 minutes on the A82.

The new boathouse on the Leven would be a new home for the service, allowing it to respond more quickly to emergencies and move out of the temporary National Park home it's occupied since 2021.

The Flamingo Land proposals (Image: Sourced)

Contractors at the site, clearing trees, have been facing anger and abuse, according to the LLRB.

David Stuart from the LLRB said: “Every time we have contractors down at the site, they are being met with abuse from the public because some people think they are down there from Flamingo Land.

“We don’t want that level of abuse faced by contractors who are looking to help build a facility which will save lives.

“It can take us up to an hour to get to the boat on busy days with the A82, so we’ve been working out of a container in Balloch for the last wee while which has shown us how quickly we can respond to events with the right location.

“We’re just wanting to get the word out there to the public that any work taking place down there is for the benefit of the Rescue Boat.”

With permission secured for the boathouse, the next step for the LLRB team is raising the money for the project, with the price tag expected to be “north of £1million”, and the volunteers are hoping to gather support.

Stuart continued: “We’re just on the land clearance stage at the moment and then it will be on to the surveyors where we will get the advice of the exact costs it will take to get this over the line.

“We had three callouts on Thursday evening last week with the warm weather and basically one a night over that busy stretch, so this busy season shows how important the support we can offer is.

“The very big fundraising drive will kick off soon and we always have some events planned for our 50th birthday, which we celebrate next year, so there is lots going on at the moment.”

For the past ten years, Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer has worked with residents in Balloch and a Scotland-wide campaign to defeat Flamingo Land’s repeated attempts to build the mega-resort.

The first version of the proposals was withdrawn at the last minute in 2019 to avoid near-certain rejection, only for the second version to be unanimously rejected by the board of  Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park in September 2024.

Flamingo Land then appealed that decision to the Scottish Government.

A government official controversially approved the plans on appeal in June 2025, but following intense public backlash, including thousands of people joining the Scottish Greens’ call for Ministers to step in, the Scottish Government was forced to recall that decision. 

A final notice of rejection was issued by Planning Minister Ivan McKee in February of this year. It is that decision which Flamingo Land is now seeking to reverse via the courts.