One month to save Loch Lomond: 140,000 oppose disastrous Flamingo Land proposal

Notebook by Bill Heaney

We have one month to save Loch Lomond from Yorkshire-based theme park operator Flamingo Land, says West Scotland Green MSP Ross Greer, who has led the campaign against the controversial proposal.

The final decision on the application, which would create a mega-resort on the iconic banks at Balloch, will be made on September 16th at a meeting of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park board.

Over 140,000 people have lodged objections to the damaging and destructive plan using a campaign portal set up by the Scottish Greens. This makes it by far the most unpopular planning application in history. Organisations who have objected include the National Trust for Scotland, Woodland Trust and Ramblers Scotland, as well as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Flamingo Land’s application would see 104 woodland lodges, two hotels, a waterpark, monorail, 372 car parking spaces, shops and more crammed onto the banks of Loch Lomond.

Mr Greer, left, said: “Flamingo Land’s mega-resort would be a disaster for one of the most iconic sites in Scotland.

“It would scar our world-famous landscape, cause irreversible damage to our local wildlife and environment, bring huge numbers of additional cars onto already dangerously congested local roads and threaten existing local businesses.

“The fact that over 140,000 people have taken the time to object to these proposals tells you how unpopular they are. The people of Balloch have endured so much stress and anxiety after nearly a decade of Flamingo Land trying to get their hands on this amazing corner of the Loch.

“With only one month to go, I urge the National Park’s board to do the right thing and protect Loch Lomond from greedy developers. It’s not too late for anyone who cares about the Loch to lodge your objection via the Scottish Greens’ website.

“Back when this sorry saga began, Flamingo Land’s chief executive [Gordon Watson] promised to walk away if they didn’t gain public support. They clearly haven’t. This is by far the most opposed planning application in Scottish history and the company’s behaviour has caused deep resentment in Balloch. It is time for them to listen to the local community and withdraw their destructive plans for good.”

Now, we all know the Loch Lomond and Trossachs Park Authority is a basket case organisation, one of a number which West Dunbartonshire is overburdened.

We have the Council, of course, which is hoping to win the golden wheelie bin award because they have produced some preposterous figures for its waste collection service to impress the judges.

Then we have the Health and Social Care Partnership which blew the project to have financial responsibility for the Pavilion Cafe in lovely Levengrove Park in Dumbarton.

And paid off a perfectly good doctor from his practice at Dumbarton Health Centre during the Covid pandemic despite the fact that an employment tribunal said they were completely out of order.

They didn’t even look at the petition signed by more than 1,000 of his patients to keep him in post. And then there’s the case of the disabled worker in the old County Buildings whom they victimised before their move to Church Street.

I could go on and I have more than enough material that would allow me to embarrass them from dawn to dusk on the longest day of the year.

Heather the Weather Reid and Sid Perry, Balloch’s representative on the Park board.

I won’t do that however. What I will do is warn the public that no matter which political party is in power at local level and, given that the Park Authority has a dizzy chairperson in the shape of Heather Weather Reid and is stuffed with forelock tugging placemen dressed in tweeds, Sid Perry being the only exception, that members of the hoi poloi like us are unlikely to be listened to.

If I were a bookmaker, I would be giving odds of 1-2, which is two to one on, that Flamingo Land will get its planning permission granted for their proposed disastrous leisure park on September 16 even if we have 140,000 members of the public telling them it we don’t want it on Loch Lomondside.

Watch this space. I would love to be wrong about this, but I fear that is a forlorn hope.

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In Dumbarton High Street on Friday morning, I noticed the town clock had stopped. It was midday on my watch but the clock on the steeple of Riverside Parish Church was telling the town it was 25 minutes to ten.

This was yet more confirmation, if that were needed, that Dumbarton was behind the times, way behind the times.

This is not the first time that has happened. I have reported that the clock stopped each time that has happened over the past half century.

Keeping the clock running is the job of the local council, who else? The Church of Scotland is not to blame for it having stopped ticking.

They said a few prayers of thanksgiving when they were relieved of that responsibility and it was handed over to the council.

That was in the days when the council actually spoke with me, and would answer questions civilly in the normal manner.

I spoke with the old Town Council who revealed that the person whose job was was named Ben.

Was that Big Ben or Wee Ben, I asked.  It was Wee Ben McGuire who, I would expect now has a clock mending business in Heaven.

So whose job is it now? And when will it the town clock be fixed?

That’s another secret. Had Freddy Waymark still been around, he would be asking for the “Time on your Watch” more than he ever did in the past. God rest him.

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I have been driving into Glasgow more than usual for the past couple of months. And I am delighted to report that Glasgow City Council has taken to cutting grass on the central reservation between the carriageways. Certainly smartens the place up — and makes driving safer since you can actually see any vehicles which are likely to pop suddenly out from garages and side roads. I notice that there have been more pleas for West Dunbartonshire Council to get the finger out and cut the grass here. Two chances of that happening – a dug’s and nane.