National Park’s Partnership Plan for Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Aims to Deliver Sustainable Future
Tuesday 11 February, 2025 – In order to fulfill the vision of creating a “sustainable place with a thriving future” as outlined in The National Park’s Act 2000, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park has announced its new “Partnership Plan”. This plan, which has been recently promoted, aims to bring together various stakeholders and organizations to work towards the long-term stewardship of the park’s valuable natural and cultural assets.
As a conservation charity dedicated to promoting the park’s unique qualities, The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs recognizes the importance of partnership in achieving their mission. It was evident to the organization that the Lomond Banks development presented multiple opportunities for collaboration to safeguard the site’s neglected natural and cultural assets. This is why The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs supported the development and are disappointed by the National Park’s handling of the application.
One of the main reasons cited for the refusal of the development was the fear of flooding. However, this concern is not an issue as most of the site is not prone to inundation. Any lower-lying areas could have easily been raised a few meters with a planning condition, similar to the Park’s own slipway building and recently approved rescue boat house.
There was also confusion surrounding the classification of the site as “previously used” or “previously” used, with the National Park seemingly using semantic maneuvers to ignore the evident evidence of the site’s past uses for agriculture, railways, sandpits, and tourism.
Moreover, the last-minute decision to abandon decades-old zoning policies for tourism and recreation is puzzling. One must question if the developer was made aware of this change in policy, which was the basis for their application.
However, the most disappointing aspect of the National Park’s handling of the application is their lack of vision, leadership, and partnership in utilizing the site’s potential for education and community involvement in stewardship of the natural and cultural capital.
The area, which was once a rich mosaic of woodlands, wetlands, and ponds 8,000 years ago, was decimated by agricultural practices by 1870. By 1970, the Drumkinnon ridge and its ancient woodlands were being destroyed for sand and gravel extraction. Now, natural regeneration is occurring, but the planners failed to see the potential for re-establishing the area’s biodiversity by re-meandering the burns, creating ponds, and re-planting trees.
While some trees may have been lost to make space for lodges, there were ample opportunities for compensatory planting on-site and in the local area. This would have helped to consolidate wildlife corridors and create a bridge across the Leven, as suggested in the Park’s “charette” exercise a few years ago. Additionally, tree planting could have created a wildlife corridor through the Woodbank House site, connecting with woodlands on the western side of the A82. These efforts would have greatly benefited the local wildlife.
Moreover, the development presented significant opportunities for education by resurrecting the ancient natural habitats of Drumkinnon. Tree planting could have involved local schools and volunteers, with educational aims being fulfilled through interpretation panels and the developer’s marketing and information campaigns. A ranger, similar to those at Forest Holidays, could have led nature walks and helped with grey squirrel control. However, without private investment, such beneficial initiatives are unlikely to occur.
The development also offered opportunities for cultural stewardship, with Woodbank House, old Balloch Station, Balloch Pier, and the Maid of the Loch paddle steamer all being potential sites for preservation and promotion. But without partnership, the future of these historical sites is uncertain.
It is also concerning that the proposed public transport link between Balloch and Loch Lomond Shores will no longer be possible, along with the loss of 200 valuable jobs and ongoing revenue from rates and tourism levies. This revenue could have been used to finance visitor management and stewardship of the natural and cultural capital, which is desperately needed in the area. The developer even offered to pay for an additional lane to ease traffic flow around the notoriously congested Stoneymollan roundabout.
One must question why the National Park did not see the potential in this development. It seems that they were either misled or intimidated by the misinformation spread on social media by Ross Greer.
The fact is, there was never a need to “Save Loch Lomond” from this development. The majority of the facilities were planned to be in Balloch or amongst woodlands, with the hotel’s frontage facing away from the loch and towards the “Lomond Shores” retail outlets, which were planned for the flooded sandpit “lagoon”. As the development offered significant benefits for nature, there was no
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