Developers for the £40million plans for Loch Lomond ask the public to see their application 'for what it actually is' and claim 'misinformation' has influenced the recommendation for refusal.

Lomond Banks Developer Director Jim Paterson has responded to the recommendation that their application is refused saying the report has been influenced by 'misinformation'.

Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority made their recommendation in a report on Monday, September 2 ahead of the final decision to be made in under two weeks.

In his response, Jim says the plans for a 'Lomond Banks' which have been submitted by Flamingo Land Ltd have been labelled as a 'mega-resort' from the get-go.

The Yorkshire-based theme park operator proposes creating more than 100 holiday lodges, two hotels, a waterpark, a monorail, 372 car parking spaces, shops, and more on the site.

Jim also says that the petition started by the Scottish Greens which has been called the 'most objected to development in Scottish history' is not accurate as the petition doesn't require proof of address of multiple entries.

Jim said: “Whilst this absolutely isn’t the end of the road for our application, we can’t help but think the decision by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority this week, to recommend for refusal, has been heavily influenced by the constant misinformation that has been peddled by the various activists, parties and campaign groups.

“We are businesspeople, not politicians, and have deliberately not indulged in this relentless rhetoric for the last two and half years, since we resubmitted our plans. We have stuck to the facts and truth surrounding our proposals, but this development has been weaponised as a political football. 

“Labelled a ‘mega-resort’ from the get-go and claims that it is the ‘most objected to development in Scottish history’ is based on an online Green Party petition that does not ask for proof of address or prevent multiple clicks.

“Unfortunately, it feels like, so far, the click-bait antics have been favoured and the merits and benefits of this development in terms of sustainability, much-needed job creation and tens of millions of pounds of investment have been lost.

“When you drill down to what this development is – it’s a sympathetic mix of hotels and woodland lodges and associated leisure facilities, utilising an area of West Riverside which has wrongly been quoted as ‘the last piece of land in public ownership around the banks of Loch Lomond’.

"No theme parks, no flamingos, but instead, a sustainable world-class destination that will help support Scotland’s tourism industry and job market for many years to come. Please be reminded, West Riverside was on the market and openly available for sale long before we became involved.

“Let us be clear, every decision we’ve taken throughout this process has been carefully considered to try and balance the needs and requirements of the local community.  We are all proud Scots who wouldn’t do anything to jeopardise our beautiful country. We have listened to the community, taken on board recommendations, significantly shaped and adjusted our plans and made legally binding promises to them that we have every intention of fulfilling.

“We remain committed to seeing the process through every step of the way. Ahead of the Board site visit and determination hearing on September 16, all we’re asking is to please see this development for what it actually is and not what it’s been hyped up to be.”