The Scottish government is set to give permission for a controversial holiday park development at Loch Lomond, overturning the decision of the national park authority.
Theme park operator Flamingo Land wants to build a £40 million resort called Lomond Banks, featuring a waterpark, monorail, hotel and restaurants.
The proposal sparked protests and was initially rejected in September by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park authority, who said it did not comply with environmental and nature conservation policies.
Development director for Lomond Banks Jim Paterson said it was a “real milestone moment” which had been “a long time in the making”.
Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer, who has been a long-standing critic of the plan, said the development would cause “irreversible damage” and the decision was an “anti-democratic outrage”.
He added: “Their destructive plans were unanimously rejected by the National Park’s board, opposed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the National Trust for Scotland, the Woodland Trust, the Park’s expert planning officers and 155,000 people who joined our Save Loch Lomond campaign.
“This greedy developer would not take no for an answer and I am shocked that government officials have put Flamingo Land’s interests above the need to protect Loch Lomond.
“We are urgently considering our options for continuing this fight. I will leave no stone unturned in the campaign to save Loch Lomond.”
Dr Heather Reid, convener of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park authority board, said the board would now take time to consider the implications of the report.
