Save Loch Lomond: “Appalling” Flamingo Land mega-resort approved by Scottish Government officials
The decision by Scottish Government officials to approve Flamingo Land's destructive mega-resort application for Loch Lomond will cause “irreversible damage” and is an “anti-democratic outrage” says Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer.
Flamingo Land have attempted to gain planning permission for their mega resort at Balloch for the past decade, with their first application failing in 2019. Their latest bid was unanimously rejected by the board of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park at a public hearing in September of last year.
This followed a campaign led by Ross Greer which collected over 155,000 individual objections to the plans, as well as objections from the National Trust for Scotland, Woodland Trust, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the local community council and the Park’s own expert planning officers.
Flamingo Land lodged an appeal against this decision shortly before Christmas, seeking to have the rejection overturned by the Scottish Government and secure consent for their plans, which include two hotels, a waterpark, over 370 car parking spaces, a hundred woodland lodges, monorail, and more.
In a letter to Ross Greer and other stakeholders this morning, the Scottish Government’s Planning And Environmental Appeals Division confirmed that they have overturned the democratic decision of the National Park’s board and granted permission for the destructive mega-resort.
This is despite flood risk warnings from SEPA, loss of nature and biodiversity, the disruption of over 250 extra cars on congested local roads at peak times and a range of other damaging impacts the development would have.
Mr Greer said:
“This is an anti-democratic outrage. I cannot believe that Flamingo Land’s destructive and immensely unpopular mega-resort is being given the go-ahead by Government officials. It was the most unpopular planning application in Scottish history and will cause irreversible damage to the world-famous local environment at Loch Lomond.
“Their destructive plans were unanimously rejected by the National Park’s board, opposed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the National Trust for Scotland, the Woodland Trust, the Park’s expert planning officers and 155,000 people who joined our Save Loch Lomond campaign.
“This greedy developer would not take no for an answer and I am shocked that Government officials have put Flamingo Land’s interests above the need to protect Loch Lomond.
“We are urgently considering our options for continuing this fight. I will leave no stone unturned in the campaign to save Loch Lomond.”
