By Democrat reporter
The rejection of Flamingo Land’s proposed destructive Loch Lomond mega-resort is a huge victory for the community of Balloch, for nature and for Scotland, says the Scottish Green MSP who has led the campaign against the development for the past eight years.
The proposed development in Balloch would have seen the Yorkshire-based theme park operator construct 104 woodland lodges, a water park, two hotels, a monorail, 372 parking spaces and more within Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, one of Scotland’s most iconic natural sites.
West of Scotland Green MSP Ross Greer, right, has led a campaign to stop the plans over the past eight years, successfully defeating the first application in 2018 and leading to the second attempt being the most objected-to planning application in Scottish history, with over 150,000 people lodging objections.
Speaking against Flamingo Land at a public hearing in front of the National Park’s board, Mr Greer laid out the economic, environmental and social harm the mega-resort would do to Loch Lomond.
Responding to the announcement from the National Park board, Mr Greer said: “This is a huge victory for my Balloch constituents and for our long-running campaign to save Loch Lomond. Residents have been united against this daft plan from the start, stepping up to defend one of Scotland’s iconic landscapes. After almost a decade, this is the result the community and campaigners deserve.
“I am delighted that the Park board have rejected Flamingo Land’s destructive plans. Every one of the 155,000 people who objected to this application played an important role in securing today’s rejection and I am grateful to them all.
“After this defeat, I’m calling on Flamingo Land to drop their plans for good and end this decade-long saga. After years of stress and anxiety for local residents, they must commit to no third attempt. Loch Lomond does not need a mega-resort and whatever tweaks they make to these daft plans, they will never go ahead.
“All eyes must now turn to the Scottish Government agency who own most of the site and who granted Flamingo Land an exclusive contract in 2016, renewed in 2020. They must rip up this agreement and end Flamingo Land’s grip on the area.
“I am proud as the area’s Green MSP to have worked with the community and supporters from across Scotland to finally save Loch Lomond.”
And in response a Scottish Enterprise spokesperson said –
“We could have sold the land at West Riverside unconditionally, but opted to make any disposal subject to planning permission to ensure consultation with the local community as part of the statutory planning process.
“We trust the planning process and respect the role of the planning authority”
And there you have it folks. You should be grateful. Scottish Enterprise could have sold Loch Lomond to just anybody – but instead opted for a secret commercial in confidence exclusive agreement with not just anybody, but rather the theme park developer Flamingo Land.
So be eternally grateful folks it wasn’t going to be sold to just anybody in a secret, some say, very sweatheart deal.
Moreover, and with the rejection on the grounds that the proposal was rejected the Rev Ian Millar has been bold enough to sally forth and retort that he thinks the 175,000 objectors were as he brutally puts it ” duped ”
Ah well, it seems that the 175,000 and campaigners do not have the wit to know what they do, and hopefully the Good Lord will forgive them for not knowing what they do.
Otherwise, a great result, and an absolute pity that’s it’s taken nearly ten years to reach this clear decision.
On a slightly different tack can anybody guess what the land potential value of the 46 acres of Loch Lomond that was being given away could be worth.
Think of the common good land that was owned by the people but sold by the council for one pound to the Strathleven Development Company.
Sold off thereafter to a number of housebuilders, there are now around 350 Lomond Gate homes east of the A82 with a property value of something like £140 million.
Or what of the value created out of the Lomond Gate fuel and shop service station?
Or the Costa, or the Premier Inn, or the Aggreko complex. What value there out of public common good land sold by some not entitled to sell it for a pound.
It’s an interesting concept altogether and who owns the land now?
Well here’s a starter. Cameron House Hotel complex is apparently ultimately owned by a company located in an offshore tax haven.
Or what about so many of the big Loch Lomond estates or luxury golf courses and so on? Where are the stratos holding companies located?
As Tesco said, once it’s gone it’s gone. That is what developers and big commercial interest do.
Could it have happened at the Flamingo Land development? Heck no, that’s a terrible question to ask..Yorkshire based Flamingo Land only wanted to look after local people. Rev Ian should be recommending them for sainthood!
And what now of Flamingo Land Ltd? Could they have been banking on the land deal? Could and would such a deal and the signing of their exclusivity agreement have bolstered a company’s balance sheet assets?
Big companies include asset value on their balance sheets.. Indeed, a brand has worth.. Think companies like Costa or Starbucks. Is their brand worth money. If so how much then?
Indeed, if a brand is worth money, and in fact costs money to maintain, what of the ownership of that brand name is held in an offshore jurisdiction or another EE country with lower corporation tax.
It’s a good question since if as an hypothetical example our well known coffee chain pays hundred of millions of pounds to the offshore company for the rights to use the branding, then we’ll come to the world of transfer pricing.
Reducing profit in the UK by transferring cost expenditure offshore, it’s huge business. Much much much more prevalent that the simple folks of the world realize.
And is it happening here in sleepy Dumbarton and environs. Well you’d be daft not to think so. In fact think ultimate ownership of private care homes for our elderly.
But I digress. Folks need to do their own research, draw their own conclusions and maybe the recent mass campaign against Lomond Banks could be the start of people asking real questions about what is really going on around them.