SCOTTISH Green Ross Greer will lead a debate in the Scottish Parliament this evening following the withdrawal of a planning application by Flamingo Land and Scottish Enterprise for a large tourist development on the shores of Loch Lomond.
The West Scotland MSP helped lead a campaign in which almost 60,000 objections were made to the proposal, making it the most unpopular planning application in Scotland’s history.
Flamingo Land still holds an exclusivity agreement with Scottish Enterprise for a section of the land and have suggested that they will resubmit their plans.
But Greer has attended a community meeting in Balloch, where alternative ideas for the site were put forward by local residents supportive of a community buyout of the land.
Speaking ahead of the debate, he said: “I’m delighted to have secured parliamentary time to discuss the future of Balloch and Loch Lomond. It was clear at the recent community meeting that local residents are bursting with alternative ideas for the site which would preserve its natural beauty, protect wildlife and support the local economy.
“There’s a real appetite for making Loch Lomond a centre for eco-tourism in particular and Balloch can play a key role in that, especially if the kind of 21st century public transport systems we discussed were also delivered.”
Greer said the debate will provide an opportunity to highlight the exclusive agreement Flamingo Land still has on purchasing rights for the Loch Lomond site.
He added: “I look forward to asking the Scottish Government to respond to our concerns about that agreement and to recognise the community’s desire that any development should benefit the local area, not a company based hundreds of miles away.”
“Our national parks are not the playthings of rich developers willing to bully local communities ... Flamingo Land’s attempts to wreck the tranquillity of Loch Lomond is just the tip of the iceberg.”
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