A SECOND round of consultations has been confirmed on plans for a new £40 million tourist attraction at Loch Lomond.
The original £30m plans to build two hotels, a craft brewery, restaurants, and a leisure centre on 44 acres next to the loch became the most unpopular proposals in Scottish history after nearly 60,000 people objected.
After the controversial initial plans were dropped, Flamingo Land “refreshed plans” for the area which would be “breaking away from its traditional portfolio of theme parks” with plans for a development – known as Lomond Banks – with visitor accommodation and walkways in keeping with the local environment, and with public access maintained throughout the site.
Now, under these new proposals, an online portal has re-opened to the community for two weeks from today, showing the ongoing progress that the application for Lomond Banks in Balloch is making ahead of the planning submission in February next year.
A face-to face event has also been arranged, taking place on November 25 at Lomond Parish Hall, Balloch.
The team behind the proposal say they will be on hand throughout the event to talk through the plans with the wider community and gather further feedback.
It forms part of the extended consultation period which started in September, designed to provide stakeholders, members of the local community and other interested parties with a number of opportunities to engage. Initial feedback from this is set to be reviewed on December 10.
Throughout the extended process, the Lomond Banks team say they are hoping to convey an overall vision for the development.
Jim Paterson, development director for the Lomond Banks project, said: “We are delighted to bring our second round of consultation to the Balloch community and, along with our face-to-face event, give people more opportunity to engage with our plans.
“The level of engagement and support from the local community during the first round was incredibly encouraging and very useful as we move our plans forward. Our vision is to create a sustainable world-class visitor experience here at Lomond Banks, one in which the local community and businesses of Balloch can be proud.
“Central to this vision is our commitment to the local area. Even at this early stage, partnerships with local organisations, training and employment opportunities and local businesses are key.
“With hundreds of jobs and an investment of £40m, the economic benefits of Lomond Banks are compelling, providing a real opportunity to give a boost to Balloch and the wider Loch Lomond area.”
People can sign up for the online and virtual consultation events at www.lomondbanks.com/consultation, while updated plans can be accessed from November 22.
Further information and FAQs on Lomond Banks can also be found at www.lomondbanks.com/faqs
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