Conservation charities slam government's U-turn on Flamingo Land plans amid 'political football' concerns
Three local charities have expressed their "concern that the Scottish Government has buckled to pressure" after it called in controversial plans for Flamingo Land's development in Balloch.
Three local charities have voiced their "concern that the Scottish Government has buckled to pressure" after it called in Flamingo Land's contentious plans for a development in Balloch.
The Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, Maid of the Loch Steamship Company, and Helensburgh and District Access Trust argue that the government has made a U-turn due to the Lomond Banks planning application "becoming a political football in the run up to the Scottish Parliamentary elections next year".
They allege that a "misleading" petition initiated by the Scottish Greens, which garnered 50,000 signatures, was signed by thousands of worried locals.
The charity groups assert that the Scottish Government's move to 'call in' the planning application for ministers to decide its fate is at odds with recent assurances from both the First Minister and the planning minister, who had accepted the recommendations of their independent reporter to approve the plans.
Previously, these groups had praised the independent Scottish Government reporter's decision to reverse the National Park's rejection of planning permission for the £42million development on brownfield sites in Balloch, believing it would deliver a vital boost to the local economy and support key natural and cultural heritage restoration projects at the southern tip of Loch Lomond.
Stewart Gibb, vice chairman of Helensburgh and District Access Trust, expressed disappointment as he stated: "As the volunteer body which was responsible for bringing two popular long distance National Great Trails through this site, we have been looking forward to working with Lomond Banks who were keen to help us with improvements and ongoing maintenance and signage of the routes through the site.
"Naturally we are dismayed to hear that the development may now be in doubt once again after the Independent Reporter appointed by the Scottish Government came out in favour and comprehensively demolished the grounds for refusal."
In addition, John Urquhart, chairman of The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, affirmed the conservation charity's position, saying: "Our long standing support for this development has always been based on the area being consistently zoned for tourism for more than 40 years on former industrial land in planning policy documents as well as the many considerable conservation and economic benefits which the project promises.
"We continue to have major concerns about the very misleading information and imagery being used by the Greens Save Loch Lomond Campaign led by Ross Greer to try and undermine the high quality development in Balloch and it is somewhat ironic that the view from the slopes of Ben Lomond used in the petition looks onto the 11 mile stretch of the west banks of Loch Lomond where there are plans by Transport Scotland to create a realigned A82 with giant causeways, rock cuts and the removal of acres of ancient woodlands and he and other objectors to Lomond Banks development such as the National Trust for Scotland remain largely silent on this."
Iain Robertson, Chair of the Loch Lomond Steamship Company, who are working tirelessly to restore the "Maid of The Loch" paddle steamer, commented: "The Maid of the Loch was the last paddle steamer to be built in the UK and she remains an icon of Loch Lomond at Balloch Pierhead.
"We see the Lomond Banks scheme as key to our efforts to preserve her for future generations and ultimately bring her back into service when she can help address some of the loch's serious transport and visitor pressures and we are also looking forward to being reconnected by rail to the rail network which is crucial to our efforts to restore the ship and sustain a viable operation."
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