Jubilation, elation and relief. That was the overwhelming reaction when all 14 members of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority Board raised their hands and rejected the Flamingo Land Lomond Banks application.

The sighs of relief weren’t just from those who had battled the project over the last decade, but they were also noticeable from people gathered inside who could now finally stand up after six hours of sitting on uncomfortable pews inside Lomond Parish Church listening to the pros and cons of Lomond Banks.

The day had started with the board being shown around the site and seeing where the development would take place. Those who back the project probably would have wished for a more normal Scottish September day with rain and wind, and not the glorious sunshine and heat that showed Loch Lomond in all its beauty. They could probably have picked any other day of the year given how the weather has been in 2024 and it would have miserable and wet.

There was then a move into the church which had been specially selected to allow as many members of the local community as well as the gathered media inside to hear what was being said. It was a process which could have been viewed as a risk of disruption but those who had gathered were largely respectful of the speakers whether they agreed with them or not.

The small delegation from Flamingo Land was massively outnumbered by objectors to the site and their supporters. Long-time campaigner Allanah Maurer described her feeling as ‘quietly confident’ when she arrived at the meeting.

That was the general feeling from everyone there. One protestor sitting outside with his Save Flamingo Land placard delivered a quick-witted jibe at one of those who arrived in support of Lomond Banks in a leopard-print jacket.

“You can change your spots, you know”, drew some laughter from others there including the lady it was directed at, taking it in the humour it was intended.

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The lengthy battle has been a tense and passionate affair but under the careful and watchful eye of board convenor Dr Heather Reid, any potential interruptions were kept to a minimum.

It was unsurprising that the reaction was emotional and in the immediate aftermath there was a lot chat from people in attendance that the journey was over. For Allanah, though, that is far from the case.

She said: “It’s not over. I’m sure we’ll see Lomond Banks saying they’ll be looking for some sort of way to come back. For Balloch and Haldane Community Council and the new stage of the Loch Lomond South Community Development Fund, it’s now for us to move forward and engage with Scottish Enterprise and with our MSPs Jackie Baillie and Ross Greer and the park authority to look at alternative community-based developments for that land so that’s kind of where we are.

“Certainly for us, the community development trust is all about a community buy out. Flamingo Land own the land at the Woodbank House but the rest is all in stewardship either at Scottish Enterprise or leased to the national park. We don’t see those two things being mutual. It’s about the fact it’s community land.

“Under the 2015 Community Empowerment Act which the Scottish Government enacted, we should be asking for the removal of the exclusivity. That has been our nemesis for eight years, until that is removed we’re excluded and we’re the only part of Scotland being excluded from our rights under the empowerment act, i.e our right to buy and move forward with this land.”

Ross Greer had offered an olive branch to the developers and said he would work with them to restore Woodbank House. That isn’t quite something that Allanah is keen on though, and she is determined to get the land back into public ownership – where she believes it should be.

She continued: “For us, no. We wouldn’t sit down around the table with a private enterprise. For us, it’s about community empowerment.

“That’s the difference. With the Scottish Government and the Community Empowerment Act and looking at other successful stories, there’s no reason why those community buy ins should be on the fringes of Scotland, they should actually be in the very heart of our communities.

“I would say this has never been a fight against Flamingo Land per se, it’s not personal against them. It’s about a community deciding what they want to do through the community empowerment act so it could be Flamingo Land or any other developer but the case would be the same.

“It’s public land and shouldn’t be sold to a developer for profit and for profits that will flow out of the area into the shareholders and for the situation we find ourselves in now.”

Allanah Maurer has campaigned for yearsAllanah Maurer has campaigned for years (Image: Colin Mearns)There has been a swell of support over the years for the campaigners against Lomond Banks. On our own Herald website, the numbers who followed along on our live updates were akin to that of a major football match. Across the industry, it's very rare for anything to get close to big football matches when it comes to live blogs. 

The social media reaction to the result showed how much people cared about it. More than 150,000 people signed objections via the Green Party website.

Mr Greer described it as a victory for Scotland’s reputation because it would have scarred the natural beauty of the country.

But for locals like Allanah? It was all about the community where she grew up and has lived her life.

“Loch Lomond is where I grew up, I grew up in the very bay they want to build, it’s where I learned to swim and row. It’s part of my soul”, she said.

“It’s part of my DNA to look at the land and say we can do better. I don’t see why communities shouldn’t be encouraged to think big and do better.

“The congratulations belong to every single one of us. This has been a massive effort from the people of Scotland.

“From the graphic designer who offered them all for free, to the six campaigners from the very start who put their heart and soul into it for eight years, to Ross Greer, Jackie Bailie and Ian Cowan the lawyer, the planning experts, the planning democracy team.

“There’s the public, the 150,000 who objected, there were the people who wore our t-shirts, there were people who took the t-shirts on holiday. There’s a neverending list. If it was a case of standing up on a stage to accept an award the acceptance speech would be so long.”

So while it might not be completely over just yet, the vote of the board just goes to show what a community can do against a large organisation if they just come together and support one another.