By Democrat reporter
The Flamingo Land planning application for its Balloch project is attracting acres of bad publicity for Loch Lomond.
People reading about it in national newspapers such as the Daily Express sent abroad for consumption by UK holidaymakers sunning themselves from Madrid to Majorca are throwing up their hands in horror at the thought of anyone contemplating having a holiday on Loch Lomondside.
One reader wrote: “God help anyone who would stay there. We stayed at a Caravan Site by the Loch. We were totally smothered in Mossy’s [midges] and bitten very badly.
“You can see the swarms of them around the light in the evening. People had to ware head covers like a Bee Keeper trying to protect themselves. It was Horrendous and we were covered in Mossy [Midgie] bites. We will NEVER go back there again.”
Another reader added: “The plans would cause irreversible damage to the local environment. The local people have made it clear repeatedly that they do not want this monstrosity. Why is public land being sold on the cheap to English based Flamingoland? What is the point of national parks if they don’t protect areas of outstanding natural beauty for all to enjoy freely? Drumkinnon Woods is ancient woodland with wildlife that should be protected not commercialized.”
And yet another said of the area, which the Visit Scotland, the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park and West Dunbartonshire Council are spending hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money to publicise: “No. Damage done [by Flamingo Land] won’t be repairable. Empty promises mean nothing.
“World is littered with giant rusting “big projects” that ruined environment and international owners never pay$ when structures age and rot, water polluted etc. Where would water for thousands of people come from? What about wildlife? This is like a mining company destroying ecosystems.”
And yet another added: “Just say NO. Anyway, the mad midges will get everyone. I’ve been up there, you need a flamethrower.”
The article in question was as follows here:
There has been outrage as a UK theme park plans a controversial new £40 million mega-project in one of the country’s top beauty spots.
It will include hotels, a monorail, a water park, a swimming pool, restaurants, two car parks and more than 100 forest lodges built around the lake.
The resort would be developed on land at West Riverside in Balloch.
A National Park Authority spokesperson said: “This application has not yet been decided. No position has yet been taken in support of or against this planning application.
“However, with high levels of public interest, we felt it would be useful to set out as early as possible the process for taking a decision. Officers now have all the information required to assess the application and that assessment will continue between now and September.
“All submitted documents, consultee responses and representations from the public are being considered as part of the assessment.
“Once the assessment phase has concluded, a report will be published that includes a recommendation to board members that they either approve or refuse the application. That report will be published on the National Park Authority website in early September, in advance of the board meeting.
More than 80,000 people have signed an online petition against the development, with fears raised over the impact it would have on the lochside landscape. The Scottish Greens have labelled it “the most objected-to planning application in Scottish history”.
It’s the second time the plans have reached this stage after Flamingo Land withdrew their original bid in 2019 after the National Park Authority report said the resort should be refused.
Bosses say their resurrected proposals have “significant amendments”, including the pledge of a ‘The Lomond Promise’ – which they say legally binds its promises for the area into legal obligations for the proposed development.
Fill your boots. That’s what Flamingo Land are here for.
Extrapolated at development land prices the land being given to Flamingo Land for effectively nothing is estimated to have a value of about £36 million.
Not a bad wee lift that when moved on to developers. Money talks and greases palms they say. And now the Labour Group are right behind it. And we thought Thatcher sold off the family silver. Ah well Scottish Enterprise and the National Park learned well from her. No wonder senior politicos and others were a few years ago all down in Cannes on a property development junket. Learning the ropes on fine dining.
And so, once again, and even with a new colour of council and local MP we see another Thatcherite style give away.