A 10-year battle has raged over what this idyllic spot on one of the world’s most storied waterways should come to look like in the future. An English leisure company called Flamingo Land specialising in leisure resorts has fought hard to build a hotel and log cabins and, ahem … a monorail here.

The very notion of a leisure complex annexing one of the few remaining accessible spots on what the legendary Scottish naturalist, Tom Weir had called “a lung for Glasgow” immediately seemed an anathema to the Scottish public and to those across the world who had experienced Loch Lomond’s wild beauty. More than 155,000 signatures were collected expressing opposition to what they regarded as an environmental sacrilege. No other grassroots campaign had ever come anywhere near gathering so many responses.

It forced the developers and their partners, Scottish Enterprise and the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park authority to retreat and re-consider an arrangement they’d all thought could be steered through with a minimum of public engagement and scrutiny. Along the way, a pattern of civic and private relationships has been exposed in which an exclusivity agreement with the developers was uncovered as well as a nexus of interlocking relationships in which undeclared interests and quiet land transfers have occurred. Featuring heavily throughout the saga has been the SNP’s favoured weapon of mass obstruction: the redacted official document.

The latest twists in a decade-long series of convulsions have occurred in the last few weeks. In May, the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division intimated that the Reporter assigned to the case was minded to allow the appeal for the Flamingo Land development after it had been unanimously rejected by the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Planning Authority last September

Seasoned campaigners though, who had observed the behaviour of Scottish Enterprise and the tactics of the developers up close were wary of breaking open the champagne just yet. Scotland’s planning laws allow developers unlimited scope for appeal while denying the same to community groups. It was inevitable that Flamingo Land bosses would return.

Yet, there would be one more turn of the cards. It came when Jackie Baillie, the formidable Labour MSP for the area, succeeded in having the issue debated last Wednesday. The Scottish Government, fearing a vote it would lose, moved suddenly to re-call the plans. One local campaigner told me: “When Jackie gets going on an issue she becomes a force of nature. It’s clear she’d stacked enough votes among all opposition parties to cause the Government problems.”

In the Balloch House Inn, local people were keen to dismantle some of the mythology of this struggle for what they regard as the soul of their community. “It now looks like the plans won’t be going forward any time soon,” said Peter Broughan, long-time resident of this neighbourhood. “And let’s be honest: it would be insanity to do this before the 2026 election. It’s not a vote winner. The problem of course is parity of planning. The developers can come back any time they want. Objectors can’t.”

Last week, Scotland’s MSPs all received a clumsy letter from a lobbying firm acting on behalf of the developers. It attempted to dispel what it described as myths in the objectors’ narrative. Within hours the decision to recall the plans was made: surely one of the fastest times on record a lobbyist’s claims were dumped.

The firm described as ‘myth’ that more than 155,000 people had objected to the Lomond Banks development. Here’s what they claimed was the truth: “While an online petition claimed to gather more than 155,000 signatures, these figures are not independently verifiable. In contrast, the official planning process received just 760 formal objections, a small number given the scale and reach of the project.”

“It shows the strength of feeling – and to an unprecedented extent – that the Scottish people are opposed to the planning application. If the developer claims these figures are not independently verifiable, is he suggesting that our MSPs are misrepresenting figures in statements they have made in Parliament?

“Are they suggesting that 155,000 objections, including campaign groups representing 6,000 members are not to be considered? How arrogant and insidious.”

Willie Hutchison, an engineer who has worked all over the world, said: “Loch Lomond is an area of outstanding natural beauty and it is recognised both at home and internationally as such. Commercial real estate developments like the Flamingo Land proposal are utterly at odds with the objects of retaining an area of natural beauty. Their proposal comprising two hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, a brewery, over a hundred chalets, and a monorail tells you that.

“Las Vegas on the Loch may be a quip but in truth it reflects how such commercial developments are the antithesis of the natural environment. In my opinion, this is a Trojan Horse with more development to come.

“And why has this deal proceeded with such secrecy? What justifies a near ten-year ‘exclusivity agreement’? Why can’t people know what public land is being sold for? And how much is the running bill, including working hours spent by highly-paid public officials? Are we expected to believe that 10 years and huge public and private expense is all merely for this development?”

Local resident, Elaine Telfer said: “You wonder why Flamingo Land is so determined to keep fighting, and at what cost? Could it be a Land Grab, of a world famous prime location: the gateway to Loch Lomond? Looking at their financial position, from Companies House, they are asset-rich only, so who are their backers? From the first sod being cut to the opening of the resort will take something like seven years. The disruption caused is beyond comprehension.”

Enter Peter Haining, the world-renowned Scottish rower who won three world Sculling titles. He is founding Director of the Scottish Institute of Sport and remains a globally-respected rowing coach. He was born in nearby Dumbarton and first honed his skills on this stretch of water as a member of the Loch Lomond Rowing Club.

Mr Haining has been in quiet discussions with some local campaigners and politicians about a much more ambitious and sustainable project which would unlock the full cultural and economic potential of this historic region.

“The scope of what can be achieved here, without disturbing the natural beauty and the natural order of this place is vast,” he said. “I’d propose a Loch Lomond watersports centre. And from that you could develop ideas around on what this area really needs. I’d like to expand it to the University of Loch Lomond which would provide a natural link in an educational chain which has Stirling at one end and Glasgow at the other.

“This place is a natural environment for providing degrees in a broad spectrum of environment specialisms, including energy conservation and the study of algae and solar energy. Loch Lomond and the surrounding lands are intrinsic to a true appreciation of both ancient and modern Scotland, stretching back to the Neolithic age. The heartbeat of Scotland can be felt here.

“Spain has benefited greatly from the tens of thousands who visit to walk the ancient pilgrimage routes that lead to the tomb of St James in Santiago de Compostela. We have our own sacred highways around here which tell the story of how the first Christian monks came here and where St Columba walked and which helped give birth to western Christianity. The geographical and historical timelines around this part of Scotland are vast end endless.

”You could have a Gaelic-speaking centre and foster trades and skills in kilt-making, acrylics, fabric-dying. In commercial terms, you could attract investment from global partners owing to the opportunities in world-class fishing, fine dining and whisky. It would be a four-phase plan, fully costed and researched, starting with a watersports centre, the university and training camps for international rowers.

“America’s Ivy League universities have vast alumni wealth under management and these places absolutely adore the Scottish Highlands and the west coast.”

Peter Haining’s vision is significantly more valid and purposeful than anything that the government agencies and their favoured business partners have produced in a decade of wasted endeavour.”