Flamingo Land director blasts 'misleading' claims against plans

In an exclusive interview, Flamingo Land director of sales Andy Miller said those against the £30 million Lomond Banks plans at the south end of Loch Lomond had sent out “sensationalised” material to the public.

Mr Miller, who is originally from the Vale but now works in North Yorkshire for the company, said people may have been misled by claims sent out by Green MSP Ross Greer, which asked people to help “Save Loch Lomond”.

The director said: “I’ve seen the material sent out by Ross, and it makes it seem like we’re going to destroy Loch Lomond - which obviously isn’t the case.”

Mr Miller added: “I think the way they’ve put their case forward, particularly saying they want to ‘save Loch Lomond’, has been sensationalised.”

Mr Greer has spearheaded a campaign by his party to scrap the proposals.

The campaign has been hailed as the most objected against planning application ever, and has garnered 57,000 individual objections from members of the public.

The Green MSP, who represents the West Scotland region, dubbed the application “the least popular in Scottish history”.

Mr Miller also said people who are in favour of the development, which is expected to be considered by the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority later this year or in early 2020, would not have been made welcome at a public meeting held in Balloch three weeks ago.

Campaign group Save Loch Lomond were behind the meeting, which saw 267 people, along with several politicians, voice their opposition to the plans.

There were no representations made in favour of the Flamingo Land application during the meeting - either from the politicians, or members of the public.

Mr Miller said: “That was a meeting by Save Loch Lomond, and we didn’t expect anyone who supported our plans to actually attend that meeting.

“I don’t think it’s something they would have been made welcome at.”

According to Mr Miller, the strength of feeling of those in favour of the development may have had an impact on them speaking out.

He said: “I think when people are in favour of something, they’re less likely to shout about it from the rooftops than if they are against it, and I think that’s what we’re seeing happening here.”

Flamingo Land, along with joint applicants Scottish Enterprise, lodged the proposals with the national park authority last year, causing uproar amongst the local community, who questioned the environmental impact of the development, along with how the increase in traffic would impact the nearby A82, which campaigners say is already over-crowded.

The theme park developer is looking to build a 60-bed apartment hotel, as well as a brewery, a water park and more than 100 holiday lodges.

There are also plans for a monorail to run between the site, on the southern tip of Loch Lomond, and Station Square in Balloch.

In the last meeting before the summer recess, West Dunbartonshire councillors voted unanimously to formally object to the plans.

WDC is a statutory consultee on the plans, by virtue of being close to the proposed site.

Mr Miller branded the move by the council “disappointing”, taking exception to some of the claims made in the motion put forward by council leader Jonathan McColl, which was amended and then passed by councillors at the meeting.

The motion claimed the plans represented an “overdevelopment” of the site, which Mr Miller stringently refuted.

He said: “It would have been great if we could have got their support for these proposals, but they’ve taken a different line.

“We’re also a bit disappointed with some things that were mentioned in the motion, which we don’t strictly agree with.

“Being a local, I’m not really sure how they’ve decided this is an overdevelopment of the site.”

Responding to the criticism, Mr Greer told the Advertiser: “It says a lot that Flamingo Land have decided to attack and smear community campaigners rather than address the problems with their deeply unwelcome plans.

“This comes from the company who called local boat owners ‘scruffy’ and whose owner has the cheek to boast that his own home is protected from unwelcome developers because its inside another national park.

“If Flamingo Land are upset about the claims of damage to ancient woodland, pollution of running and standing water, red squirrel and otter fatalities and more, they should read their own plans more carefully.

“All of the damaging consequences we have mentioned are direct quotes from their own impact assessment. If they don’t like that, maybe they should revise their proposals.

“Whether it’s the ever dwindling number of jobs they promise, their bizarre dismissal of major traffic and congestion concerns or the refusal to rule out contractors using zero-hours contracts, the developer’s credibility in the community disappeared long ago.

“It’s time this damaging development went with it.

“Over 57,000 people have joined the community, the council, MSPs and MPs in defending the local economy and environment against their plans.

“Maybe Flamingo Land should take the hint.”