Jackie Baillie has welcomed demands made by the National Trust for Scotland that the views of those directly impacted by the proposed Flamingo Land development in Balloch are properly addressed.

NTS has lodged an official objection to the Lomond Banks plans at the West Riverside site.

It follows a local survey which Jackie Baillie carried out earlier this year, lettering over 3000 households in the Balloch, Haldane, Tullichewan, Levenvale and Jamestown areas. Two thirds of respondents said they were opposed to plans and even those who backed the development said they were concerned about the impact on local roads as a result of the planned £40million holiday park.

This issue was also reflected in the official response by NTS which was recently made public, expressing concern that the scale of the development would have a detrimental impact on local routes.

The Dumbarton constituency MSP has engaged with the developers, sharing the survey results with them and urging them to act on the concerns raised.

She said: “I want to thank NTS for such a detailed and thorough response to the consultation. Local people are at the heart of this decision and I am pleased that they have also stressed this within their response.

“I have already impressed upon the developers the need to engage fully with the community if they are to address the concerns which matter most to local people.

“The impact on the road network and the impact on local businesses are both issues of concern.

“There are clearly still valid worries which remain unresolved and I hope that Lomond Banks take seriously the issues raised within the NTS response.”