Thousands of people have been duped into signing a petition to save Loch Lomond, believing the beloved natural site was under threat. However, it has been revealed that the petition, which featured an image from the slopes of Ben Lomond, was misleading and the Scottish Government has been pressured into taking action.
Three charity groups, the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, Maid of the Loch Steamship Company, and Helensburgh and District Access Trust, have all expressed concern over the Scottish Government’s decision to call in the planning application for the Lomond Banks development. The groups, who have a long history of delivering countryside access, conservation, and heritage projects in and around Loch Lomond, believe that the government has succumbed to political pressure leading up to next year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections.
The petition was led by the Green Party and used an image from Ben Lomond, which is approximately 20 miles away from the proposed development site. The charity groups argue that the development was never going to threaten the special qualities of Loch Lomond. In fact, they believe it will provide a much-needed boost to the local economy and support important natural and cultural heritage restoration initiatives.
The groups have identified over 20 potential direct and indirect benefits that will arise from the development, including the creation of many high-quality job opportunities for local people, helping to sustain existing businesses in Balloch Main Street and at Lomond Shores, and generating over £1 million per annum in commercial rates and visitor levies to support local public services and a range of transport, visitor management, conservation, heritage, and public realm improvement projects.
Stewart Gibb, Vice Chair of Helensburgh and District Access Trust, stated, “As the volunteer body responsible for bringing two popular long-distance National Great Trails through this site, we have been looking forward to working with Lomond Banks to improve and maintain the routes. It is dismaying to hear that the development may now be in doubt after the independent Scottish Government Reporter recommended approval.”
John Urquhart, Chairman of the conservation charity The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, added, “Our long-standing support for this development has always been based on the area being consistently zoned for tourism for more than 40 years on former industrial land in planning policy documents, as well as the considerable conservation and economic benefits the project promises. We continue to have major concerns about the very misleading information and imagery being used by the Green Party’s Save Loch Lomond Campaign, and it is somewhat ironic that the view from the slopes of Ben Lomond, used in the petition, looks onto the 11-mile stretch of the west banks of Loch Lomond where there are plans by Transport Scotland to create a realigned A82.”
Iain Robertson, Chair of Loch Lomond Steamship Company, whose volunteers are working to restore the “Maid of The Loch” paddle steamer, stated, “The Maid of the Loch was the last paddle steamer to be built in the UK and she remains an icon of Loch Lomond at Balloch Pierhead. We see the Lomond Banks scheme as key to our efforts to preserve her for future generations and ultimately bring her back into service when she can help address some of the loch’s serious transport and visitor pressures. We are also looking forward to being reconnected by rail to the rail network, which is crucial to our efforts to restore the ship and sustain a viable operation.”
The potential benefits of the development, if approved by Ministers, include the creation of a quality gateway to Loch Lomond and a visitor destination that the community can be proud of, reconnection of the village center Balloch with the pierhead with a rail link, creation of good quality jobs, improved management and expansion of woodlands, and the generation of substantial funds to support local public services and a wide range of visitor management, conservation, and heritage initiatives.
The groups hope that the Scottish Government will consider the real benefits of the development and not be swayed by misleading social media campaigns. They are also concerned about the lack of attention given to other developments in the area, such as plans by Transport Scotland to realign the A82, which will have a significant impact on the environment.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.