Flamingo Land appeal ‘an insult’ to the community
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer has condemned Yorkshire-based theme park operator Flamingo Land for mounting a court challenge against the Scottish Government’s decision to reject their controversial plans for a mega-resort at Loch Lomond.
In February Scottish Ministers confirmed that they had rejected the destructive proposals for the banks of Loch Lomond. This followed a decade-long saga involving the first version of their plans being withdrawn in 2019 to avoid near-certain rejection, only for the second version to be unanimously rejected by the board of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park in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 with the Scottish Government.
A government official controversially approved the plans on appeal in June 2025, but following intense public backlash, including tens of 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 are now seeking to reverse via the courts.
The mega-resort plans are the most unpopular planning application in Scottish history, with 155,000 people submitting objections through a campaign led by Scottish Greens. They were joined by local community groups and expert organisations including the Woodland Trust and Ramblers Scotland, as well as the National Park’s own expert planning officers and national environment watchdog SEPA.
The proposals include two hotels, a waterpark, over a hundred woodland lodges, a monorail and more. Despite the A82 already suffering from regular gridlock, the developer’s own assessment admitted that their resort would result in more than 250 extra cars per hour on local roads at peak times. This was on top of considerable local environmental damage and flood risk, the two key reasons cited for the plans’ rejection.
Ross said:
“This desperate final roll of the dice is an insult to the community and to the thousands of people across Scotland who stepped up to save Loch Lomond. After a decade of behaviour like this, we have had more than enough of Flamingo Land and their daft schemes.
“I expect the Scottish Government to vigorously defend their decision in court. The evidence of the harm these daft plans would do was overwhelming. That's why every expert organisation involved was opposed to the application.
“155,000 people across the country joined the Scottish Greens’ campaign to save Loch Lomond, but Flamingo Land has once again refused to take no for an answer. Over the last decade they have tried to wear down, outspend and exhaust the people of Balloch into letting them wreck the gateway to Loch Lomond. Time and again though, our campaign defeated them.
“Loch Lomond means so much to people across Scotland. That is why the opposition to these plans has been so overwhelming. Balloch residents want an end to this process. They deserve so much better than a destructive mega-resort being inflicted on their doorstep.
“If Flamingo Land cared at all about the community they would do the decent thing and walk away. The people of Scotland have told them time and again that their daft plans are not welcome.”
