Flamingo Land boss blasts MSP who opposes his plans for Balloch
Gordon Gibb launched an astonishing personal attack on Scottish Greens’ Ross Greer after his campaign against the proposed development
Station Square in Balloch which the developer wants to look like this artist’s impression.
By Bill Heaney
The Flamingo Land planning application for Balloch has turned into a dirty war of ageist words.
Millionaire Gordon Gibb has, along with his sidekick Andy Miller, launched what one journalist has described as “an astonishing personal attack” on Green MSP Ross Greer, who has thrown his weight behind the protest against the controversial plan for a holiday resort and hotel.
Stupidly, in this age of political correctness, whether or not you agree with that, Flamingo Land chief executive Gordon Gibb made disparaging comments about the young politician’s age in a recent letter to him.
Greer jumped in where the SNP administration on West Dunbartonshire Council and their U-turn prone leader, Cllr Jonathan McColl, feared to tread since it was seen as a vote loser in McColl’s Lomond seat on the Council.
It quickly became clear that that people across Scotland – not just on Loch Lomondside – were to speak out and march against the Yorkshire man’s plans.
This was despite the fact that Scottish Enterprise had also given their blessing to it, hoping it would bring jobs to the area.
Gordon Gibb and Ross Greer are at loggerheads over objections.
It also emerged that Flamingo Land would block public access to to the Bonnie Banks shores, cause terrible traffic disruption and wreak environmental damage, particularly of trees around the Drumkinnon Bay area.
West Dunbartonshire Council unanimously rejected the plans in June but a decision still needs to be made by the board of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
The next “round” of that application is due to come before the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority after a meeting at the White Church in Balloch on September 24.
It appears that after Scotland’s youngest MSP, 25, wrote to Gibb, asking him to withdraw the plan, he received a furious response calling him a “very inexperienced politician” who is unqualified to “advise anyone on anything that is important in the adult world”.
His bizarre rant added: “We unreservedly reserve all our rights against you,” before telling the elected politician: “The people of Scotland have not spoken and you certainly don’t speak for them.”
Greer’s letter to Gibb said: “I’ve had more constituents contact me about this than any other issue in the last three years and they overwhelmingly see your proposals as taking land in one of Scotland’s most iconic locations for an unwanted development, one which carries considerably ecological cost.”
Gibb’s Yorkshire-based Flamingo Land firm wants to build a water park, 60-bedroom apart-hotel, craft brewery, boat house, leisure centre and restaurants. But more than 57,000 objections to a planning application have been lodged
The arrogance of Mr Gibb, spoken like a true Capitalist.