West Riverside and Woodbank House (Lomond Banks)
Information on the proposals for potential ‘Lomond Banks’ development at West Riverside and Woodbank House, Balloch.
Key dates
Text alternative Stage 1: Screening Opinion stating EIA report is required (22 June 2021) Stage 2: Planning application notice submitted (9 August 2021) Stage 3:Lomond Banks public consultation (October/November 2021) Stage 4: Planning application submitted (26th May 2022) Stage 5: National Park Authority public consultation (This is the current stage of the planning process) Stage 6: Planning recommendation published (not yet known) Stage 7: Site visit and public hearing (not yet known)
The graphic above shows the key dates in a major planning application. We are currently at Stage 5 of the West Riverside and Woodbank House Application. (Click the image to view full size.)
Update 20th July 2022
A planning application for a major development (known as Lomond Banks) at West Riverside and Woodbank House, Balloch, was registered as valid on 26 May 2022. Since then a range of consultations have been undertaken with agencies such as Transport Scotland, SEPA and West Dunbartonshire Council departments. The advice from these consultees is being assembled and considered. Individuals have been submitting representations to the application, whether in objection or support. These are being collated and considered. Consultees and individuals comments are available to view on the e-planning portal.
What’s included in the Planning Application
The application includes the following:
- Refurbished tourist information building
- Up to 60 bedroom apart-hotel
- Up to 32 bed space budget hotel
- Up to 127 self-catering lodges
- Leisure / pool / water park / spa
- Restaurants / café / retail areas
- Craft brewery including pub
- Visitor reception area and hub building
- External activity areas including event/performance areas, children’s play areas, picnic and barbeque areas
- Monorail
- Staff service and welfare accommodation
- Associated parking, landscaping and infrastructure development works
- Access to be taken from the surrounding road network including Ben Lomond Way and Pier Road
- Retention/restoration of the listed Woodbank House and attendant outbuildings and their conversion/redevelopment to 21 self-catering holiday apartments (subject to other consents)
The application submitted is for Planning Permission in Principle. This means that the applicants are seeking agreement “in principle” that the proposed development is acceptable. Full detailed drawings are not required with this type of application however the National Park can request additional information if it thinks it is necessary to determine the application. If the Planning Permission in Principle application is approved, the applicant will then have to submit further application(s) for detailed aspects of the proposal such as the siting and design of buildings before development commences.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been submitted with the application containing detailed information about the likely significant environmental effects of the development. The EIA ‘Non-Technical Summary’ provides an accessible overview of the technical information.
How to view the plans
You can view all of the application documents, including the Environmental Impact Assessment, on the e-planning portal using reference 2022/0157/PPP.
A copy of the application documents, including the Environmental Impact Assessment, can also be viewed at the National Park Headquarters on Carrochan Road in Balloch.
What happens now
Due to its scale, this planning application is classed as a ‘major development’. Major developments follow a different planning process to smaller planning applications. You can find a step-by-step overview of this process in our ‘major developments explained’ blog. This application is currently at Step 5 in the process.
Having your say
You are welcome to make a comment on the application, either for or against the proposals. The statutory deadline for making comments was 7th July 2022.
However, the consultation period will remain open, and public comments can continue to be submitted after this date until a short time before the Planning Officer’s Report to the Planning Committee is published.
If you would like your views to be taken into consideration during the decision-making process, it is important to make comments to us directly. There are three ways to make comments:
- Comment via our e-planning portal using the reference number 2022/0157/PPP and the ‘Submit Comments’ tab
- Email us at planning@lochlomond-trossachs.org or
- Write a letter and send it to our National Park Headquarters. Please include an e-mail address if you have one. Unless we hear from you to the contrary, all communication will be electronic as this will help us to reduce our environmental impact.
Further advice on how to comment on a planning application is contained within our How do I comment on a live planning application blog.
Your comments will be published on our e-planning portal, along with your name and address, and will be available for inspection and to be copied by any interested party. Processing your comments may take a few days and they will only appear online after the Planning Officer has read them. We ask for your patience as we anticipate a high level of interest in the application.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to respond individually to specific questions during the consultation period however all comments will be taken into account as part of the decision making process.
Previous updates
26th May 2022 Update: 26th May 2022 A planning application for a major development (known as Lomond Banks) at West Riverside and Woodbank House, Balloch, was registered as valid on 26 May 2022. Also published on this date is the information currently in the 20th July 2022 update. 3rd February 2022 Update: 3rd February 2022 The prospective applicant for the proposed development at Woodbank House and West Riverside, Balloch (Lomond Banks) has notified the National Park Authority that they intend to submit a planning application at the end of April 2022. This is later than the previously indicated date of February 2022 and the applicant has indicated this is to allow further time for consideration of ecological survey information. This is not a planning application at this stage. A decision can only be taken on these development proposals once a formal planning application is submitted and a detailed planning assessment is carried out following consultations. We cannot comment on the merits of any proposals until the forthcoming planning process is completed. We will continue to follow the standard process for handling any major planning application. This process is set out in detail in our Major Planning Applications Explained blog. More information on the proposals for the site can be found on the Lomond Banks website.
16th November 2021 The prospective applicant for the proposed development at Woodbank House and West Riverside, Balloch (Lomond Banks) is planning a second public consultation event to be held in Balloch. This in-person event will take place on Thursday 25th November from 2pm to 7pm at Lomond Parish Hall, Balloch. To manage Covid risk, you are asked to pre-register your attendance via the Lomond Banks website though limited drop-in spaces may also be available on the day. The online portal will also re-open from Monday 22nd November for two weeks, allowing the community to view and comment on the updated plans. The purpose of these consultation events is to show the ongoing progress on the development proposals and to allow the community to provide feedback ahead of the anticipated planning application in February 2022. You can sign up for the in-person consultation (now) and view the updated plans (from 22nd November), at the Lomond Banks website. This consultation event is led by the applicant, not by the National Park Authority. Anyone with an interest in this proposed development should take part in the consultation and provide feedback directly to the prospective applicant and not to the National Park Authority. This event forms part of the Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) process. This is a statutory requirement for proposals relating to major developments.Update: 16 November 2021
14th October 2021 The prospective applicant for the proposed development at Woodbank House and West Riverside, Balloch (Lomond Banks), has launched their initial public consultation event online. You can access the virtual event at the Lomond Banks Website. The consultation will run until Friday 15 October. The web link also contains details of how to sign up for a live event which will be held at 7pm on Thursday 7th October. This consultation is led by the applicant, not by the National Park Authority. Anyone with an interest in this proposed development should take part in the consultation and provide feedback directly to the prospective applicant and not to the National Park Authority. You can contact them via the Lomond Banks Website This event forms part of the Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) process. This is a statutory requirement for proposals relating to major developments. The overall aim of the PAC is for communities to be better informed about major development proposals and to have an opportunity to share their views with the prospective applicants before a formal planning application is submitted to the planning authority. The PAC process requires that the prospective applicants submit a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to the National Park Authority setting out their plans for consultation with the local community and other stakeholders before submitting a planning application. There must be a period of at least 12 weeks between serving the PAN and the submission of the planning application. The initial PAN was submitted to the National Park Authority on 8th June 2021. The planning team checked this and responded on 29th June 2021. An updated PAN was submitted to the National Park Authority on 9th August 2021. You can view these documents by entering the reference number 2021/0212/PAC on our planning public access website. This is not a planning application at this stage. No new planning application has been submitted at this stage. A decision can only be taken on these development proposals once a formal planning application is submitted and a detailed planning assessment is carried out following consultations. We cannot comment on the merits of any proposals until the forthcoming planning process is completed. We will follow the standard process for handling any major planning application. This process is set out in detail in our Major Planning Applications Explained blog. The prospective applicant has also requested an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) ‘Screening and Scoping Opinion’. This is a preliminary step in preparation for a potential future planning application for this site and is typically a requirement for proposals relating to major developments. The request for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) ‘Screening and Scoping Opinion’ consists of two parts: The Screening Opinion request asked the Planning Authority whether an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA Report) is required with any future planning application. A Screening Opinion stating that an EIA report is required was issued on 22 June 2021. You can view the Screening Opinion by entering the reference number PSC/2021/0005 on our planning public access website. The purpose of the Scoping Opinion request is to agree with us, as the planning authority, the scope of the environmental information and assessment that would need to be included in the EIA Report. The National Park Authority’s planning team sought the advice of external consultees and expertise as needed for the scoping response. The Scoping Opinion was completed on 27th July 2021. You can view the Scoping Opinion by entering the reference number PSC/2021/0005 on our planning public access website. This is not a planning application and there is no opportunity for the public to make comment on this aspect of the process.Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
11th June 2021 The prospective applicant for the site at West Riverside, Balloch, have notified the National Park Authority of their intention to begin the planning application process for this site by requesting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) ‘Screening and Scoping Opinion’. This is a preliminary step in preparation for a potential future planning application for this site and is typically a requirement for proposals relating to major developments. This is not a planning application at this stage. No new planning application has been submitted at this stage. The prospective applicants have also submitted at ‘Pre-Application Consultation Notice’ (PAN) setting out the proposed strategy for the required Pre-Application Consultation. This initial consultation is led by the applicant, not by the National Park Authority. Anyone with an interest in this proposed development should take part in the consultation and provide feedback directly to the prospective applicant and not to the National Park Authority. You can contact them via the Lomond Banks website. A decision can only be taken on these development proposals once a formal planning application is submitted and a detailed planning assessment is carried out following consultations. We cannot comment on the merits of any proposals until the forthcoming planning process is completed. We will follow the standard process for handling any major planning application. This process is set out in detail in our Major Planning Applications Explained blog. The Screening Opinion request is asking the Planning Authority whether an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA Report) is required with any future planning application. We have 21 days to issue the Screening Opinion (however this period can be extended with the agreement of the applicant) and the Screening Opinion will be made available to the public once it has been issued. If the Screening Opinion confirms an EIA report is required then the purpose of the Scoping Opinion request is to agree with us, as the planning authority, the scope of the environmental information and assessment that would need to be included in the EIA Report. The National Park Authority’s planning team will seek the advice of external consultees and expertise as needed for the scoping response. We have 35 days (from the date of the Screening Opinion) to issue the Scoping Opinion (however this period can be extended with the agreement of the applicant) and the Scoping Opinion will be made available to the public once it has been issued. You can view the scoping request by entering the reference number PSC/2021/0005 on our planning public access website. This is not a planning application and there is no opportunity for the public to make comment on this aspect of the process. The PAC process requires that the prospective applicants submit a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to the National Park Authority setting out their plans for consultation with the local community and other stakeholders before submitting a planning application. There must be a period of at least 12 weeks between serving the PAN and the submission of the planning application. The PAN has been submitted to the National Park Authority and our planning team now has 21 days to check it and notify the applicant if it is acceptable or not. You can view the PAN by entering the reference number 2021/0212/PAC on our planning public access website. Under normal circumstances a public consultation event must be held as part of PAC. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government have during the “emergency” period (ending on 30 September 2021) made formal regulations which suspend temporarily the requirement for holding a public event. The National Park Authority will be discussing with the prospective applicants their proposals for undertaking this important aspect of PAC online. The Scottish Government have provided guidance on their expectations for alternatives to a holding a public event as follows:
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
The request for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) ‘Screening and Scoping Opinion’ consists of two parts:
Pre-Application Consultation (PAC)
The overall aim of PAC is for communities to be better informed about major development proposals and to have an opportunity to share their views with the prospective applicants before a formal planning application is submitted to the planning authority.
2nd June 2021 This is a preliminary step in preparation for a potential future planning application for this site and is typically a requirement for proposals relating to major developments. This is not a planning application at this stage. No new planning application has been submitted at this stage. It is expected that this will be followed by the prospective applicants undertaking the required “Pre-Application Consultation” This initial consultation is led by the applicant, not by the National Park Authority. Anyone with an interest in this proposed development should take part in the consultation and provide feedback directly to the prospective applicant and not to the National Park Authority. You can contact them via the Lomond Banks website. A decision can only be taken on these development proposals once a formal planning application is submitted and a detailed planning assessment is carried out following consultations. We cannot comment on the merits of any proposals until the forthcoming planning process is completed. We will follow the standard process for handling any major planning application. This process is set out in detail in our Major Planning Applications Explained blog. The request for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) ‘Screening and Scoping Opinion’ consists of two parts: The Screening Opinion request is asking the Planning Authority whether an Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA Report) is required with any future planning application. We have 21 days to issue the Screening Opinion (however this period can be extended with the agreement of the applicant) and the Screening Opinion will be made available to the public once it has been issued. If the Screening Opinion confirms an EIA report is required then the purpose of the Scoping Opinion request is to agree with us, as the planning authority, the scope of the environmental information and assessment that would need to be included in the EIA Report. The National Park Authority’s planning team will seek the advice of external consultees and expertise as needed for the scoping response. We have 35 days (from the date of the Screening Opinion) to issue the Scoping Opinion (however this period can be extended with the agreement of the applicant) and the Scoping Opinion will be made available to the public once it has been issued. You can view the scoping request by entering the reference number PSC/2021/0005 on our planning public access website. This is not a planning application and there is no opportunity for the public to make comment on this aspect of the process. The PAC process requires that the prospective applicants submit a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) to the National Park Authority setting out their plans for consultation with the local community and other stakeholders before submitting a planning application. There must be a period of at least 12 weeks between serving the PAN and the submission of the planning application. Once the PAN has been submitted to the National Park Authority, our planning team has 21 days to check it and notify the applicant if it is acceptable or not. Once we have confirmed the PAN is acceptable it will be available to view online. Under normal circumstances a public consultation event must be held as part of PAC. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Scottish Government have during the “emergency” period (ending on 30 September 2021) made formal regulations which suspend temporarily the requirement for holding a public event. The National Park Authority will be discussing with the prospective applicants their proposals for undertaking this important aspect of PAC online. The Scottish Government have provided guidance on their expectations for alternatives to a holding a public event as follows:
The prospective applicant for the site at West Riverside, Balloch, have notified the National Park Authority of their intention to begin the planning application process for this site by requesting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) ‘Screening and Scoping Opinion’.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Pre-Application Consultation (PAC)
The overall aim of PAC is for communities to be better informed about major development proposals and to have an opportunity to share their views with the prospective applicants before a formal planning application is submitted to the planning authority.
Previous application (registered as valid on 21st May 2018)
A previous planning application for a major development at West Riverside and Woodbank House, Balloch, was registered as valid on 21 May 2018. On 17 September 2019 this application was withdrawn by the applicants and the Pre-determination Hearing and Meeting to determine the application was cancelled. As the planning authority, we issued this statement on the withdrawal of the application.
The previous planning application and planning report can be viewed online via our planning portal under reference 2018/0133/PPP.
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