Flamingo Land: National Park Estates Department Raise Alarm
Flamingo Land’s hopes of being granted permission for a controversial visitor attraction on the shores of Loch Lomond have been dealt a blow after it emerged that the National Park’s estates manager has expressed concerns about the impact on the Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway.
The Slipway is owned and managed by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority’s Estate department. The Estate Manager has submitted her concerns, which will be considered by the Park Authority’s board before they make their decision on the application.
The submission raises concerns over the need for Flamingo Land’s proposed monorail to cross the access road to the slipway at an appropriate height. It points out that there is a lack of provision for long-term boat storage for any visitors staying at the lodges and bring their own boat. Concerns are also raised over disruption to the 3,500 launches using the slipway each year, including loss of trailer parking space and bottlenecks preventing vehicle access.
Local Green MSP Ross Greer, whose campaign has collected 32,000 objections to the plans, commented:
“This submission is yet another demonstration of why these half-baked plans should be firmly rejected - and this time it’s the National Park itself raising concerns. The slipway is popular with thousands of visitors and locals alike who sail or swim in the loch. The Park Authority’s board must take their Estate Manager’s concerns over its future operation extremely seriously.
“There’s still time for local residents to protect Loch Lomond and object to Flamingo Land’s destructive plans. You can do so directly on the National Park’s website or even easier, join the thirty two thousand people who have already used our objection portal at www.greens.scot/FlamingoLand”