The Scottish Government has performed a dramatic U-turn and pressed the pause button on Flamingo Land’s £40m plans for Loch Lomond.
Three weeks ago Planning Minister Ivan McKee told MSPs to ‘read the report’ by an ‘expert planner’ and said it would not be appropriate to intervene.
But tonight the SNP MSP said he would recall the plans because “the development raises issues of national significance in view of its potential impact on Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.”
He said: “This means that the appeal should be determined at a national level.”
No further information has been provided by the Scottish Government.
Jackie Baillie, whose Dumbarton constituency includes the site, said the U-turn has happened because the SNP realised it would lose a vote motion laid at Holyrood tomorrow calling for the plan to be recalled, which had cross-party support.
And last week Green party MSP Ross Greer ridiculed the SNP approach, pointing out that they had intervened over a plan near the Bannockburn battlefield site.
Over 50,000 people backed an online call for the Scottish Government to recall the Lomond Banks plan, which would see hotels, over 100 woodland lodges, a water park and monorail built at Balloch.
It was unanimously rejected by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority members last year but Flamingo Land appealed and last month a Scottish Government-appointed reporter published an 80-page document saying the plan would be approved subject to conditions.
