By Bill Heaney
Labour-controlled West Dunbartonshire Council committed what many local people will see as political suicide this afternoon when they gave the green light to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority to grant planning permission for the Flamingoland “resort” at Balloch.
The voting which took place in the Burgh Hall in Dumbarton Church Street saw Flamingoland win by 12 votes to eight. The Labour Group plus two SNP councillors supported Flamingoland.
But Community Party councillor Jim Bollan, father of the council, pictured right, warned this will not be the end of the matter.
He told The Dumbarton Democrat: “This is a scandalous decision by the Labour Party, moving to support the Flamingo Land development in Balloch Village.
“64,000 objections, the largest number ever in Scotland, yet Labour betray them to support an unwanted over developed resort by a company whose owner bankrolls the Tory Party.
“It may now be Council policy to support Flamingo Land but the struggle continues to oppose this unwanted resort in Balloch.
“Pressure now needs to be applied to the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority to refuse planning permission for this development which will destroy the southernmost tip of the world famous Loch Lomond.”
Earlier today BBC Scotland News reported that the vote was imminent, confirming what Democrat readers had been told days earlier.
The Council meeting discussed plans for the Lomond Banks development, with councillors advised by their own planning director Pamela Clifford to support the plan.
This angered opponents who have protested over a period of more than six years against the controversial project, now being labelled the Bonnie Banks Blunder.
What is Flamingo Land?
Flamingo Land is a theme park and zoo in Yorkshire that has operated since the 1950s.
In 2018 the company behind the park – Flamingo Land Limited – submitted proposals for a tourist development at Loch Lomond, including a hotel, craft brewery and leisure centre.
The plan was met with strong opposition, with an online petition against it gathering more than 55,000 signatures.
In September 2019 the company withdrew its original plans, but returned in 2020 with an updated £40 million ($50m) proposal featuring a water park, monorail, swimming pool, a hotel and restaurants.
Throughout the process Flamingo Land has insisted that the development would not be a theme park, and council papers state that it would be a “a major step away” from their other resorts.
More than 85,000 people have now signed the petition against the new proposal. The voices of the public have not been taken into account here.
Why are so many people so opposed?
Green MSP Ross Greer has spoken against the development.
The original plans were dubbed “the most unpopular planning application in Scottish history” by Ross Greer, the Scottish Greens MSP, and the revised proposal has proved just as controversial.
Concerns have focused on whether the development would distort public green space in one of Scotland’s most scenic areas.
Lynne Somerville, the chair of Balloch and Haldane Community Council, recently told the BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme that the plans would “dominate the whole west side of Balloch” and be a “living hell” for people living locally.
However, it is not just locals who are concerned, as evidenced by the number of letters sent to the council protesting against it.
Others have raised fears that the vista of Loch Lomond would be affected – damaging both a stunning view and a tourist hotspot.
Additional traffic in the area is another concern.
Flamingo Land estimated an additional 253 cars would be on the road during rush hour times, from 17.30 until 18:30.
What has changed from the original proposal?
The original proposals were unanimously objected to by the then SNP-controlled West Dunbartonshire Council.
However this time around the local authority is expected to back the proposal, if road improvements are included in the plan.
That change of heart has been greeted furiously by protestors who will make certain they take their revenge at the General Election which is expected to take place later this year.
Provost Douglas McAllister is the prospective Labour candidate who will stand against the sitting Westminster MP Martin Docherty Hughes, who must now be odds on favourite to hold on to the seat on the green House of Commons benches.
The Labour councillors who gave their approval to Flamingoland.
Meanwhile, Flamingoland company has also said the new proposal put forward today would feature visitor accommodation and walkways sympathetic to the local environment, and that public access would be maintained throughout the site.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency requested that lodges were removed from part of the site designated as a flood plain and questioned whether proposals to mitigate the risk of floods were “technically feasible.”
Flamingo Land stated in its plans that part of the site was exempt from the flood plain concern due to it having been in previous use as a railway line until the 1980s.
What benefits could Flamingo Land bring?
Flamingo Land and Lomond Banks believe there would be considerable benefits for the local community, starting with creating around 200 jobs.
They have stated that they would use local businesses throughout the construction of the development, which they estimate would raise £3 million for the local economy.
The company has legally bound their promises for the area in a unilateral voluntary undertaking called “the Lomond Promise.”
Improvements to public transport in the Loch Lomond area would also be planned, upgrading the congested Stoneymollan roundabout, they claim.
Council papers state that the Ballochloan roundabout should be reprofiled as well, and that the overall development would become a “focal point” for Balloch.
The same papers praise the possible monorail in particular.
Who will make the final decision?
Although West Dunbartonshire Council may back the development, it will not make the decision on whether to grant it planning permission.
That will fall to the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority.
A spokeswoman for the park authority said it would consider the responses from West Dunbartonshire Council and new information on flooding and traffic matters.
She added: “We have a duty to formally notify the public and further consult with statutory consultees on this new information and will do so in the coming weeks.
“This will allow officers to progress with their assessment, prepare a report and make a recommendation to the National Park Authority Board.”
A final decision would then be taken at a public meeting and hearing, but no date is set yet.
And how much is developer Gordon Gibb’s company paying for the circa 33 acres of land.
Well that’s a good question because the answer is that it’s a commercial in confidence issue. Now that’s pretty good, sell of some 33 acres of iconic land around the Bonnie Banks but keep it a secret.
Well based on some anecdotal chat the price being paid is absolutely peppercorn running to some tens of thousands. And the value of the land at local rates is apparently approaching £40 million.
And that is why FL are desperate to get this deal done. Sale of the century. Thtacher’s children strike again thanks to the SNP. Suck it up folks as the cuts get deeper.