Why the Flamingo Land Loch Lomond petition has surged past 150,000 signatures

Plans to build a massive theme park and holiday resort at Loch Lomond should be stopped in their tracks as opposition mounts, according to Scottish Green politicians.

A petition opposing the new plans has gathered almost 160,000 signatures, with more than 50,000 added in the past few days.

The Greens say the “garish and destructive” scheme, which would see a “mega-resort” created at the southern tip of the famous loch, will damage the natural landscape, threaten wildlife and badly affect traffic and businesses in the area.

The call comes as decision day looms for a planning application by Yorkshire-based theme park operator Flamingo Land, which is seeking to erect a waterpark, monorail, 104 woodland lodges, two hotels, 372 car parking spaces, shops, restaurants and a craft brewery at Balloch.

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The town is a gateway to the “bonnie banks” of Loch Lomond and the surrounding national park, which attracts more than four million visitors each year. The developers say the £40 million scheme will have “minimal impact” on existing roads, which can be busy with visitors.

They have also signed up to the ‘Lomond promise’, a voluntary undertaking that legally binds the developer into obligations such as no zero-hour contracts, job and training opportunities for locals and real living wages. But there has been an avalanche of objections to the proposals, which come following an earlier bid by Flamingo Land to develop the site that was dropped before being decided.

Yorkshire-based Flamingo Land is seeking to build a massive holiday resort and theme park at the southern tip of Loch Lomond

Now the fate of the controversial development lies with Loch Lomond and the Trossach National Park Authority, which is responsible for planning in the area. A site visit, public hearing and board meeting will be held on September 16 to determine whether it should go ahead.

The Scottish Greens have led the Save Loch Lomond campaign since the first plans were submitted in 2018.

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The strength of opposition makes the planning application “the most unpopular in Scottish history”, according to the party.

Protesters say Flamingo Land’s £40m “mega-resort” would damage the natural landscape and badly affect businesses and traffic in the area around Loch Lomond

Ross Greer, Scottish Greens MSP for the West of Scotland, said the holiday park would “scar this world-famous natural landscape, endanger precious wildlife, increase traffic on already dangerously congested roads and seriously threaten local small businesses”.

He said: “This is the second time Flamingo Land has tried to build their destructive mega-resort at Loch Lomond. Their first application quickly became the most objected to planning application in Scottish history. Now their second attempt has doubled that record.

“Despite the unprecedented scale of opposition – and their own promise to walk away if Balloch residents didn’t support them – Flamingo Land has refused to listen to the will of the community. The national park’s board must now stand up for Loch Lomond and the residents of Balloch and deliver an unequivocal rejection to this greedy corporate profiteering.”

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Flamingo Land formally withdrew a previous application to build a £30m tourist resort on Loch Lomond in 2018

A spokesperson for the authority said: “No position has yet been taken, in support of or against this planning application. However, with high levels of public interest, we felt it would be useful to set out as early as possible the process for taking a decision.

“Officers now have all the information required to assess the application, and that assessment will continue between now and September. All submitted documents, consultee responses and representations from the public are being considered.”