Scottish Government should 'call in' Flamingo Land decision

The board of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park Authority is set to make a decision on the development, dubbed the most objected to in Scottish history, on September 16.

Whatever way it goes, Ms Baillie said, she believes it will “ultimately have to be called in by the Scottish Government”. She observed: “Given the size and significance of the application, given the two agencies involved are both government agencies – the National Park will consider the application and Scottish Enterprise own the land and have been working with the developers – so I think it should be called in.”

Ms Baillie’s objection will mean she joins West Scotland Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer, who has long spearheaded the campaign against the development and West Scotland Conservative MSP Pam Gosal.

Also opposing the development are the community councils Bonhill & Dalmonach, Balloch & Haldane and Kilmaronock.

In April the West Dunbartonshire Council (which only this week had to reform following the resignation of two councillors from the Labour Party) voted to support the bid.

“I think we can do better,” Ms Baillie said. “The community is quite divided. Some people just want us to get on with it and I recognise their frustration. But this is a significant piece of land right at the gateway to Loch Lomond. We need to make sure that what’s on it is right for the area.” 

After the first Flamingo Land application was withdrawn, Ms Baillie raised prospect of community asset transfer with the Scottish Government. “Disappointingly,” she said, “this was refused, blocking the community from developing something innovative at this iconic site.”

However, since then the Loch Lomond South Development Trust has formed with a view to asset transfer, and this week registered expressions of interest for parts of the site.

Lomond Banks artistic impression

Ms Baillie's stance, she said, has been led by community opinion. In 2022, she carried out a survey, lettering almost 4000 households in the Balloch, Haldane, Tullichewan, Levenvale and Jamestown areas. 10 percent replied, and of those two thirds said they were opposed to the plans.

She said: “What was interesting to me was that even those who said they were for the development, said there were issues about the quality of jobs and the road infrastructure. I told the developers that they needed to address these things.”

"Two key issues around road infrastructure are the Stoneymollan roundabout on the A82 which gets congested, and what is frequently described by the locals as the McDonald’s roundabout, which frequently sees traffic backing up onto the A82

Since Ms Baillie’s survey, Lomond Banks have, following a community engagement exercise, produced the Lomond Promise,  a list of commitments made to the community which include no zero hour contracts, real living wage, job and training opportunities for local people.

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But Ms Baillie questioned the strength of this commitment. “At the moment, it’s just on paper. We need to see action from them to demonstrate how it would work. I’ve not seen demonstrated that the Lomond Promise is yet anything more than a PR exercise. I need to see that that is real for local people.”

Jim Paterson, Development Director for Lomond Banks, said: “There isn’t a planning requirement to create our Lomond Promise, but submitting a unilateral legally binding document to the National Park, in addition to the development proposals put forward, outlines our clear commitment to ensuring Lomond Banks promotes jobs, boosts the economy, and attracts significant inward investment – all of which brings about huge benefit to local people and businesses in and around Balloch.

“We have spent more than two years engaging with the local community and we felt it vital to demonstrate how we would integrate, contribute, and engage with the area. As this is a planning permission in principle (PPiP) application, much of the further detail surrounding how this is brought to life is yet to be determined.

“As the Lomond Promise is public document, it means that we are accountable to the public to ensure all elements will be delivered. Some parts can also be conditioned as part of any detailed planning application moving forward. We warmly welcome any conversations with further local businesses about how we can support them should the planning application progress to the next stage.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Ministers cannot comment while this application remains live. It is for Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park as the relevant planning authority to implement planning legislation and guidance in relation to this application.”