
Controversial £40m Flamingo Land resort at Scots beauty spot APPROVED despite thousands of complaints
FLAMIN-GO! Controversial £40m Flamingo Land resort at Scots beauty spot APPROVED despite thousands of complaints
A CONTROVERSIAL £40m Flamingo Land resort at Loch Lomond is set to get the go-ahead - after the Scottish Government overturned a refusal decision.
It comes after bosses at the National Park Authority unanimously refused the plans back in September.
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A decision published on Friday showed a reporter in the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division has upheld an appeal from Flamingo Land for the plans,.
But 49 conditions were slapped on the application.
The applicant will have to reach an agreement with the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority before the application can progress.
The land which is proposed to be built on is owned by the Scottish Government's commercial wing Scottish Enterprise.
It has agreed to sell to Flamingo Land if planning permission for the development is granted, with the deal being extended last year to allow for an appeal to the refusal.
Under the £43.5 million proposals, Lomond Banks would see two hotels, more than 100 lodges, a waterpark and monorail built on the site at Balloch, West Dunbartonshire.
The development has been proposed for years, with Lomond Banks pulling out in 2019 before returning with a new application, which has proven controversial with the local community.
A campaign spearheaded by Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer garnered more than 150,000 signatures, he claimed, while the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the National Trust and the Woodland Trust also lodged objections.
Campaigners have expressed worries about the environmental impact on the area, as well as extra traffic on the already beleaguered A82, and the quality of jobs.
A study commissioned by Lomond Banks suggested as many as 200 positions could be created - 80 full-time and 120 part-time or seasonal - with the developer pledging to stick to Scottish Government-set fair work principles.
More to follow...
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