Storm gathers over Loch Lomond development

IT is a town caught in a state of flux, without a bank or police station, but abuzz with talk of a multi-million pound plan that will revitalise the economy.
Balloch has been touted as the gateway to the new Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and, with proposals for a hotel and tens of thousands of square feet of retail and leisure developments, this quiet corner of West Dunbartonshire is on the cusp of a transformation.
But there is a growing fear that the changes could spell trouble. With the prospect of scores of timeshare houses and flats being built, there is concern that the identity of the town could be washed away.
As part of a regeneration project, Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire (SED) has been congratulated in developing old industrial sites, but preliminary plans for a swathe of housing on the banks of the Leven – much of it earmarked for timeshare – are giving cause for concern.
The land – from the Maid of the Loch to Sweeney's boatyard – is priceless in the eyes of the community, and were it to disappear there is a feeling that locals could become strangers in their own town.
Murdoch Cameron, chairman of Balloch and Haldane community council, has expressed dissatisfaction with SED's intentions, and said: "We have serious reservations. We're not against progress, but if all this goes ahead it would turn Balloch into a dormitory town … these plans would do away with the last green corridor in our community. It's a beautiful place and the only bit of green land left apart from Balloch Park."
Jim Biddulph, a Balloch resident, agreed: "It's not at the stage of widespread protests yet, but we have to act early to stop Balloch being turned into the one big housing estate," he said.
Cruising clubs in the area, concerned that access to their boats will be blocked, have also entered the fray. Several have only around two years remaining of temporary planning permission for their moorings and the thought of a developer throwing them off the land has spurred them into action.
Members of Balloch Cruising Club, for example, have uncovered an ancient royal charter which preserves a public right of free access to the banks of the River Leven.
The sensitivity of the situation is recognised by SED, which insists its proposals are at such an early stage that it is undecided as to the scale of any housing scheme. So far, the enterprise company is only inviting expressions of interest from developers in order to establish ability and track record, but DTZ, a property firm, has already researched the demand for retail and residential uses in the area.
The National Park Authority, in charge of overall plans to revamp the region, will not publish a comprehensive planning framework until next year. Such is the trepidation over housing, the community council has asked it to draw up a separate scheme for Balloch.

Controversial plans to build a £35m luxury timeshare retreat in a West Norfolk village have been turned down.

Feast Properties had applied for outline planning permission to create a 100-suite complex on the site of the Granaries at Station Road, Docking.

According to Feast Properties, the develop-ment had the potential to attract visitors from Europe and America and create up to 200 jobs. Proposed facilities included a sports hall, gym, swimming pool and beauty-treatment room.

Planners had been recommended to refuse the scheme, but a final decision was deferred until members of West Norfolk council's development control board had seen the site for themselves.

Marian Rose-Cartwright, who has been involved with the project, addressed councillors when they met on Monday, saying that it would revitalise the village. "High-spending visitors will enhance the wider local community and servicing work will benefit local businesses and demand for second homes in the area will diminish," she said.

However, the plans were refused on the grounds that they did not meet the village's employment needs and could have an adverse impact on views into and out of the Docking conservation area.

The scheme attracted two letters of complaint and ward councillor Nicholas Ullswater also objected on the grounds the building was out of proportion with the other buildings in the village and would mean an increase in traffic.

Last night, Ms Rose-Cartwright said she was "disappointed" by the outcome.

She described the project, which was four years in development, as "world class" and "visionary" and said there had already been interest in it from abroad.

"This would have been great news for Norfolk, the economy and local residents, bringing around 200 new jobs to the area . . . we are disappointed it will not bring a wealth of benefits to West Norfolk and the surrounding area," she said.

Ms Rose-Cartwright added that the developers would look for alternative sites for the project.