Big wheel 'will turn bonnie banks of Loch Lomond into a fairground'

Published on Thursday 26 February 2009 22:12

IT WILL offer perhaps the best view in all of Scotland, rising from gentle shores to look out across waters once sailed by Queen Victoria towards the stark beauty of Ben Lomond.

One of the nation's leading visitor destinations is planning a giant 112ft wheel to be up and running by the summer.

It is hoped the Lomond Eye will pull in thousands of tourists courtesy of a unique perspective on the Loch Lomond landscape so feted by Romantic poets.

But conservation and walkers' groups have condemned the idea, comparing it to a "huge fairground structure" that would blot an unspoilt environment revered by generations of tourists, artists and writers.

The proposal has yet to be approved by the authority which governs Scotland's first national park, but those behind the structure claim it would not be visually intrusive.

The idea is the brainchild of Loch Lomond Shores, which believes the structure – equal in height to the Edinburgh Wheel on Princes Street at Christmas – represents a major tourist draw.

Loch Lomond Shores attracted more than 1.2 million visitors last year, and Clare Gemmell, the centre manager, views the wheel as a means of increasing that figure.

She said: "We have no intention of this attraction being seen as a funfair big wheel, and we will ensure the structure and the promotions surrounding this proposal will be seen as an educational, environmental tool.

"This is not simply about visitors having a ride, but seeing the stunning aspects of Loch Lomond from a different perspective."

The centre is in discussions with several manufacturers of the structures, and intends to rent the wheel. If approved, it would be sited for a two-month summer period. If successful, it may become a more permanent fixture.

Standing at Drumkinnon Bay, the Lomond Eye would feature 24 gondolas, and would be capable of carrying more than 140 people.

However, David Black, the wildland campaign officer for the Ramblers Association in Scotland, said: "If you want a huge fairground structure, put it where the people are: in cities. The whole appeal of Loch Lomond is that it is unspoilt. The last thing walkers want to see is a large man-made structure."

John Mayhew, director of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, said: "This does not sound like the sort of thing we should be erecting in our national parks."

A Visitscotland spokesman said it hoped the Lomond Eye could be as successful as the Falkirk Wheel, which last year attracted over 500,000 visitors.

A spokeswoman for the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority said it was unable to comment on the wheel ahead of the application coming before its planning committee next month.

PROFILE

AS GUARDIAN of the bonnie banks, the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority has extra statutory responsibilities compared with the average local authority.

As with a council, planning applications made in its area are heard by a committee, which compares cases against local frameworks and policies.

A final local plan for the park – outlining the likes of sites for affordable housing, tourism developments and recreation projects – has yet be drawn up, with a three-month consultation period on a draft plan coming to an end this month.

However, planning decisions are guided by the park's status as a recognised protected area. Where there is a clash of interests, it gives greater weight to proposals that help conserve natural heritage.