Demand to end ‘exclusive’ Flamingo Land agreement as £40m Loch Lomond theme park decision looms

An “exclusive” deal between the Scottish Government and theme park operator Flamingo Land should be scrapped if planning permission for its £40 million “mega-resort” on the banks of Loch Lomond is refused, according to campaigners.

The call comes as decision day looms for the development, which would see a waterpark, monorail, 104 woodland lodges, two hotels, 372 car parking spaces, shops, restaurants and a craft brewery built at Balloch – the gateway to Scotland’s famous loch and surrounding national park.

The proposed scheme, named Lomond Banks, has attracted massive public interest, including an avalanche of opposition. The planning application has been described as the “most unpopular in Scottish history”, with a petition to save the site gathering more than 146,000 objections so far.

The lochside site where the controversial resort would be built is largely publicly owned, by government agency Scottish Enterprise.

But a special deal set up in 2016 – originally in the form of an exclusivity agreement and now a conditional missive – means only Yorkshire-based Flamingo Land can buy the land, blocking the local community or any other interested parties from bringing forward alternative ideas.

The Scottish Greens, who have been fighting to stop the development since a previous plan was submitted in 2018, are demanding the agreement be dropped if the latest plans get refused.

In a letter to John Swinney, Green MSP Ross Greer wrote the resort would “overwhelm this corner of the loch and the community of Balloch” and “cause immense environmental, social and economic harm to the area”.

He requested the First Minister “instruct Scottish Enterprise not to renew their agreement with Flamingo Land in the event that their current application is rejected”.

“We cannot allow a theme park operator to hold one of Scotland’s most iconic sites to ransom in the way they have,” Mr Greer said. “If this bid is rejected, then it must be the end of the road for Flamingo Land.

“They can’t keep coming back and inflicting more misery on residents who have made it perfectly clear that they are not welcome. The exclusive agreement must be brought to an end and local people must be freed from the anxiety and uncertainty that has been caused.”

A report recommending whether planners at Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority should approve or reject the plans is due to be published on Monday, ahead of a hearing, site visit and meeting to be held in public and online on September 16, when a final decision will be made.

The authority has been assuring people that proper procedures are being carried out and warned against attempts to derail the process.

Dr Heather Reid, convener of the authority board, said “due process is being followed to the letter”.

She said: “It is in everyone’s interest that the site visit, public hearing and board meeting on 16 September are conducted in an orderly manner and that an informed decision can be made by board members. Disruption on the day could result in the site visit being abandoned or the hearing being adjourned, and those outcomes benefit nobody.”

Jim Paterson, development director for Lomond Banks, said: “Our exclusivity agreement with Scottish Enterprise follows on from a stringent, public tender process where our proposals for West Riverside were deemed to be the most feasible to bring to fruition and closely met the objectives and ambitions for the area in the local development plan.

“Through real, positive dialogue with local residents, businesses, and stakeholders, we've shaped our plans to meet the area's needs and aspirations for job creation, economic growth, and inward investment, whilst being sympathetic to the area’s natural beauty.

“We fully expect that our agreement will continue as per the conditions set out in the contract. Our commitment to Balloch and West Riverside is unwavering, and we believe our proposed development is sustainable, environmentally sound, commercially viable and will be a catalyst for investment, generating opportunities for both the local community and Scottish tourism for years to come.”