A Scottish Government minister has refused to intervene and refuse permission for the controversial development.

SNP ministers have rejected calls to step in and block the controversial Flamingo Land proposals amid concerns “overwhelming expert evidence“ is being ignored.

A Scottish Government planning reporter has upheld an appeal from Yorkshire-based theme park operator Flamingo Land for the plans, but placed 49 conditions on the application.

An illustration showing what Flamingo Land at Loch Lomond would look like | contributed

The applicant will have to reach a legal agreement with the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, which rejected the proposals last year, before the application can progress.

The land, which is proposed to be built on, is owned by the Scottish Government’s commercial wing Scottish Enterprise, which has agreed to sell to Flamingo Land if planning permission for the development is granted.

Under the £43.5 million proposals, Lomond Banks would involve two hotels, more than 100 lodges, a waterpark and monorail built on the site at Balloch. A campaign against the project spearheaded by Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer garnered more than 150,000 signatures.

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Mr Greer asked SNP public finance minister Ivan McKee whether ministers would use powers under the Country Planning Act to step in and block the application from receiving permission.

Speaking in Holyrood on Tuesday, Mr McKee pointed to the permission being “subject to 49 different planning conditions and a legal agreement being reached and put in place”.

Business minister Ivan McKee during a Ministerial update on the Dalzell Historical Industrial sale at the Scottish Parliament in December last year.

But he claimed that because the application technically “remains live”, it would “not be appropriate for me to comment” on the specifics of the case.

Mr McKee said: “Given the very technical planning issues raised in this case and the high level of public interest, I consider it is appropriate that objective planning judgement is applied in this case. For that reason, I do not intend to recall this appeal.”

In response, Mr Greer told MSPs he was “incredibly disappointed” by the Scottish Government refusing to step in and block the plans. The West of Scotland MSP said legislation “specifically gives ministers that power, not officials”.

He said: “In 2008, this Scottish Government intervened to overturn Aberdeenshire Council’s rejection of Donald Trump’s golf course at Menie. That was ministers, not officials, overturning local democracy to help an American millionaire trash a sensitive natural environment.

“In this case, the Government's own environment watchdog Sepa said the application clearly breaches flood protection rules and does not meet the exceptions set out in the national planning framework.

“That’s not to mention the extra 250 cars an hour it would bring at peak times on already-congested roads like the A82.

“Does the minister accept that the law clearly gives him the power to intervene and will he do so and reject this mega-resort on the basis of the overwhelming expert evidence of the damage it would do to a world-famous location?”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie | PA

Labour deputy leader and Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie called for Mr McKee to visit the site, listen to local concerns and “review all of the decision-making and call the planning application in”.

She said: “The minister will know the reporter’s decision does fly in the face of expert evidence, the unanimous decision of the national park, the view of Sepa and indeed, the overwhelming majority of local people.

“I am bemused that the reporter’s decision outweighs all these ministerial appointees and all these expert agencies and indeed, the view of my local community.”

SNP ministers refuse plea to block controversial Flamingo Land application for Loch Lomond

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