A row has broken out in Scotland over an alleged "ransom" demanded by a theme park operator for an iconic location.
The Scottish government is under fire for allowing the operator, Flamingo Land, to have an exclusivity deal on the publicly owned land on the banks of Loch Lomond.
Campaigners insist that the deal should be scrapped if planning permission for the £40m mega resort is refused.
The plan envisages a water park, monorail, 104 woodland lodges, two hotels, car parking, restaurants and retail, plus a craft brewery, all at Balloch at the entry to the loch and national park.
The Lomond Banks, as the scheme is called, has resulted in a strong anti campaign with a near-150,000 petition in opposition.
The deal, set up in 2016, gave exclusivity to the Yorkshire-based Flamingo Land and only that company is allowed to buy the land, blocking others from suggesting alternatives.
Political parties are now lining up with the influential Greens demanding that Scottish Enterprise should not renew its agreement with Flamingo Land should its application be rejected.
Said Green Party MSP Ross Greer: “We cannot allow a theme park operator to hold one of Scotland’s most iconic sites to ransom in the way they have.
"If this bid is rejected, then it must be the end of the road for Flamingo Land. They can’t keep coming back and inflicting misery on residents who have made it perfectly clear that they are not welcome.”
Lomond Banks, however, stoutly defended their actions in the Scottish national press. A decision is due after a public hearing on September 16.
