New Flamingo Land theme park planned for top UK tourist beauty spot – and people aren't happy

Scottish Sun

28-05-2025

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A NEW theme park wanting to open in the UK has been delivered another blow.
An emergency meeting has been set up to discuss the development of Flamingo Land in Scotland which is set to gain planning permission after 49 conditions were added to the new application.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
3
Planning for the attraction was originally submitted back in 2018
Credit: Lomond Banks
Back in 2018, plans for a new attraction were submitted by Flamingo Land for the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland.
However, the following year they were withdrawn due to a lack of support - which seems to have also continued ever since.
In 2020, updated plans were resubmitted, insisting that the new attraction would be a "major step away" from its other resort - which includes a theme park and zoo in Yorkshire, reports the BBC.
The theme park operator wants to build a £40million resort on Lomond Banks that would include a waterpark, monorail, hotel and restaurants.
Despite this, the Loch Lomond park authority board ruled that even the updated plans still conflicted with both regional and national environmental polices.
The lake in southern Scotland, which is part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, is known for boasting red deer and oak woodlands.
Among the risks listed, Stuart Pearce from the park authority noted how the plans would create an "unacceptable risk" of flooding of the River Leven.
Following the release of the updated plans, more than 174,000 people signed a petition against the project.
The current Flamingo Land resort on north Yorkshire opened back in 1959 - originally as a zoo.
The attraction got its name from the popular pink bird, which were among the first animals on the site in Yorkshire.
The perfect Haven holiday park for a kid-friendly break - with direct beach access, indoor waterpark and neighbouring seaside theme park
Now a public meeting has been set for May 30 to discuss the proposals for the banks of Loch Lomond.
The meeting follows news that the Scottish government approved permission for the development - overturning the decision of the national park authority.
Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer, who does not support the plan, said that 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."
He labelled the developer as "greedy" and that it would not take "no for an answer".
"We are urgently considering our options for continuing this fight. I will leave no stone unturned in the campaign to save Loch Lomond," he concluded.
3
Loch Lomond is a lake in southern Scotland - part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park
Credit: Alamy
The Balloch and Haldane Community Council also noted how they were "deeply disappointed" in the Scottish government's decision which it said "contradicts the expressed will of the community".
In an 80-page document on the site, an evaluation noted how there has been a lot of opposition to the plans.
However, it also said that the site could operate safely despite the risk of flooding and added that there could be benefits to the local community in terms of jobs and a boost to the economy.
If the project did go ahead it would likely have two hotels, more than 100 lodges, a waterpark and a monorail built.
A bird-inspired £5million adventure play park is also planned for a UK attraction, and is 'to be a place of wonder for families'.
Plus, a major UK theme park is to get a huge new land by 2027 with rollercoasters, kids rides and indoor attractions.