Scottish Greens: End Flamingo Land exclusivity deal if Loch Lomond plans rejected

An exclusivity deal between a developer and the Scottish Government’s commercial arm should end if plans for Loch Lomond are rejected, the Scottish Greens have said.

The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority will meet on Monday to decide on the controversial development on the banks of the Loch.

The Greens have led a campaign against the development, which will include two hotels and more than 100 self-catering lodges as well as a waterpark and other amenities.

A similar project was rejected by the authority in 2019 but was re-submitted by Yorkshire-based theme park operator Flamingo Land in 2022.

Under the terms of an agreement with Scottish Enterprise, the firm has exclusive rights to develop the site.

But Green MSP Ross Greer has tabled a motion in Holyrood calling for the end of the deal should the plans be rejected on Monday, as well as urging ministers to reassess the future of such agreements.

“The threat of this garish and destructive mega-resort has been hanging over the residents of Balloch for far too long,” he said.

“If Flamingo Land’s proposal is once again rejected, then their grip over the area must be ended and the exclusivity agreement finally terminated. It absolutely cannot be extended again.

“The agreement should never have been renewed in 2020 after Flamingo Land’s first application was roundly condemned by residents and experts alike.

“As a result of that error of judgment by Scottish Enterprise, residents have had to put up with a further four years of a developer trying to force its daft and destructive plans on their community.

“The outrage this has caused right across the country is clear from the record number of objections that have been submitted.

“Loch Lomond is an iconic, world-renowned location, so it hasn’t surprised anyone familiar with the area that so many people have joined local residents in the campaign to save it.”

Officials at the Authority recommended earlier this month that the development not go ahead.

Jim Paterson, the development director on the project, said he expects the agreement with the developer “will continue”.

“Our exclusivity agreement with Scottish Enterprise follows on from a stringent 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 local area,” he said.

“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 to allow to see the proper planning process all the way through.

“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.”

A Scottish Enterprise spokesman said: “Scottish Enterprise has had a legally-binding exclusivity agreement, and then latterly a legally-binding conditional missive, in place with the proposed developers since they were selected as the preferred bidder following an open marketing process.

“The planning proposal is now going through the regulatory process, which has included extensive public consultation, and it would not be appropriate for us to comment further on the outcome of that process while it is ongoing.”