A CONSERVATION charity has given its conditional backing to the controversial plans for a £40 million tourism development at the southern end of Loch Lomond.
The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs says Flamingo Land's proposed development on the West Riverside site would address the "urgent need" to regenerate Balloch and strengthen the village's appeal to residents and visitors alike.
The Friends' support for the project is contained in a detailed submission to the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, which will decide on the fate of the developer's 'Lomond Banks' proposals.
The charity says that its backing for the Flamingo Land proposals is conditional on "stringent planning conditions" being attached to any approval - specifically relating to the adoption of a travel and transport action plan, and a requirement for the developer to enter a legally binding agreement to guarantee community use of the indoor and outdoor recreational facilities.
James Fraser, the chair of the Friends, said: “We have carefully considered the latest outline planning application for this strategically important site which, in our view, is the optimum, and possibly last location, on Loch Lomondside for major tourist and recreation development as it has the benefit of being right next to a public transport hub with easily accessible rail, bus, and waterbus services.
‘’It has also been zoned for tourist and leisure development in Local Development Plans and various policy documents for a considerable period and was bought back in the 1990s by Scottish Enterprise for this purpose after decades of being blighted industrial derelict land.
‘’We welcome the plans coming forward for Balloch at the present time as the village is facing an uncertain and challenging future as a thriving tourist destination.
"Despite the village being one of the main gateways to the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, it is not realising its full tourism potential as a green and sustainable ‘must visit’ tourist destination.
‘’There is an urgent need to regenerate and strengthen the appeal of the village to support and sustain existing businesses and the associated jobs, as well as creating many additional year-round employment opportunities which are easily accessible by public transport.”
Opportunity
In their submission, the Friends point to locations elsewhere, such as Center Parcs, Lake Garda and Alpine villages, where visitors are encouraged not to use their cars and considerable success has been achieved by providing sufficient activities on site to deter car travel and to provide attractive alternatives to the car for getting out and about.
‘’We believe there is a real opportunity here to develop a truly sustainable development," Mr Fraser continued, "with an imaginative and forward-thinking travel and transport action plan that could make a positive contribution to the climate and nature emergency strategies for the Loch Lomond area and help address the traffic concerns being raised in some consultation responses.
‘’The proposed Lomond Banks development could be the catalyst for an imaginative and collaborative Loch Lomond sustainable mobility initiative which is badly needed in the area to encourage modal shifts from cars to other forms of transport, to reduce the carbon footprint of tourists and day visitors, and to help transform Balloch and Loch Lomond into what should be a leading green tourism destination.’’
Further backing
The Friends made their support public just a few hours after Flamingo Land's proposals received public backing from two other notable quarters.
One is the Loch Lomond Steamship Company, the charity which owns the Maid of the Loch paddle steamer, currently undergoing restoration next to Balloch Pier.
The other is retired local clergyman Rev Ian Miller, who has been a minister in the area for 47 years and is currently interim moderator at Lomond Parish Church in Alexandria.
Iain Robertson, chairman of the Maid of the Loch charity, said: "The board of trustees have met, and we believe that this new application answers many of the questions that were raised the last time this project looked to get off the ground.
"As a board we have considered it carefully and believe that the Lomond Banks concept fits both with the local area and what the Maid of the Loch is trying to achieve.
“In an area that has lost so many jobs over the years, it is important that local people benefit from a successful development that complements the wider area and we believe that the proposed Lomond Banks plans will do just that.
"We hope that if successful, the developers will work with both us and other local businesses in making Balloch a place that people want to visit, stay and spend money in.”
Mr Miller added: “This area has been crying out for inward investment for too long and, as a member of the community council, I know we are desperate for this to happen.
“The plans proposed by Flamingo Land have been dogged by falsehoods and lies throughout the process, both in 2018 and now, including the misinformation that it would be a theme park.
"Lomond Banks was never going to be a theme park back in 2018 and again it certainly isn’t now.
“All I ask of my fellow neighbours and those in the wider area, is to seek out the plans, ask questions of the developers and make up your own mind.
"For me, I do believe that Lomond Banks will be both eco-friendly and complement the local area, providing a development that we can all be proud of for generations to come.”
Developers
In response to the backing, Jim Paterson, development director for Lomond Banks, said: “We are delighted to welcome a letter of support from the Friends of Loch Lomond.
"As a long-established conservation and heritage group specifically focusing on Loch Lomond, their endorsement is invaluable and their helpful insights will certainly assist us with shaping our plans should we have the opportunity to bring forward detailed proposals.
“Their letter really emphasised the opportunity we and the community have here, thanks to the location of our planned development and its proximity to the public transport hub of Balloch with easily accessed rail, bus and water boat services, to think creatively about our support for Loch Lomond becoming a destination which people don’t automatically access and explore by car.
“There are examples of how this might work all over the world and we are committed to playing our part as a sustainable tourism destination to transition from being car-dominated and moving towards more sustainable forms of travel – this also meets our Net Zero aspirations.
“We are delighted to consider all the options to meet the long-held aspirations of the local community and improve connectivity around this area of the loch.”
The Scottish Green party recently launched their 'Save Loch Lomond From Flamingo Land 2.0' campaign that received 22,000 responses within the first weekend of being live.
Flamingo Land's revised development proposals were unveiled earlier this year after a previous plan was withdrawn in 2019 following a recommendation by National Park planning officials that permission should be refused.
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