FLAMINGO Land has come in for some stinging criticism in a Scottish Parliament debate over the company’s controversial plans for a major development on the banks of Loch Lomond.

The company withdrew a planning application in September for its ‘Lomond Banks’ proposals on the West Riverside and Woodbank House sites after more than 50,000 objections were lodged.

Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer, who brought forward a debate on Loch Lomond’s future in the Holyrood chamber last Tuesday, revealed details to MSPs of correspondence sent to him by Flamingo Land over public support for the proposals.

Mr Greer – Scotland’s youngest ever MSP, who was just 21 when he was elected through the parliament’s top-up list system in 2016 –told the chamber: “Flamingo Land’s chief executive, Gordon Gibb, said at the start that the company would withdraw if it did not have the public’s support.

“When it became clear that that was not the case, I wrote to Mr Gibb, reminding him of what he had said. His response was nothing short of a tantrum in written form.

READ MORE: Green MSP Greer backs community's vision for future of 'Flamingo Land' sites

“He said: ‘I won’t be lectured by a very inexperienced politician.’ He went on to say: ‘Now I come to think of it Ross, how can you advise anyone of anything that is important in the adult world?’

“That gives members an idea of the tone of the rest of the letter. Does that sound like someone whom we want owning such an important part of our world-famous national park?”

Mr Greer’s disdain for the company’s approach was echoed by the Helensburgh and Lomond area’s constituency MSP, Jackie Baillie, who accused Flamingo Land of “lacking maturity”.

Ms Baillie said: “The proposal that we are discussing, which was brought forward by Iconic Leisure, which has now been renamed as Lomond Banks and is more commonly known as Flamingo Land, was for development at the Balloch end of the national park. I say as an aside that if a company needs to change its name three times in the course of one application, its public relations is not going terribly well.

“Flamingo Land’s letters are not designed to win friends and influence people; it is Flamingo Land that has lacked maturity in this debate. I have been insulted by far better people.”

READ MORE: Jackie Baillie backs Loch Lomond community buy-out move

Members noted their support for a community campaign for an alternative, community-based, approach to development of the sites, with Ms Baillie calling on the Scottish Government to instruct Scottish Enterprise to cancel their exclusivity agreement with Flamingo Land, which does not run out until next year, to allow for discussions to begin about a community buy out of the land.

The Conservatives’ Maurice Corry, who was raised in the area and still lives in Helensburgh, said proposals such as those put forward by Flamingo Land “should not be implemented at the expense of local residents”, and was one of several MSPs in the debate who called for a major review of infrastructure and transportation in the Loch Lomond area.

Mairi Gougeon, the Scottish Government's minister for rural affairs and the natural environment, said: "Members will appreciate that it is not appropriate for me to comment on an individual application."

READ MORE: Controversial 'Lomond Banks' planning application is withdrawn

However, she said: "The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 will bring about better, more meaningful and earlier engagement with local people across Scotland."

"More widely, I note that encouraging community ownership is a priority for the Scottish Government.

"Communities have more opportunities than they have ever had to take control of their futures."

After the debate, a spokesman for Scottish Enterprise said: “Exclusivity agreements are legally binding contracts which are commonplace in the property industry to allow potential buyers time to carry out relevant investigations before completing any sale.

“The Exclusivity Agreement in the Lomond Banks case was considered appropriate because development of the brownfield site is heavily constrained by ecology, flooding, and possible contamination from previous industrial uses.

READ MORE: Loch Lomond campaign slams 'bid to silence' Flamingo Land objectors

“Public consultation has been carried out in the local community throughout the process, and helped shape a number of changes to the plans which were finally submitted. This approach would continue to form the basis of any proposals for the land at Lomond Banks.

“While Scottish Enterprise would always give appropriate consideration to any proposal, no proposal was received from the community when the land was advertised in 2016.

“The recently withdrawn planning application proposals for Lomond Banks did not at any time include any plans for a theme park.”

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