Friends continue to make a difference on the A82 in Scotland

Volunteers from JP Morgan & AECOM turned out on a rainy Wednesday 3rd of June morning to try to reduce the litter which continues to gather along the shores of Loch Lomond.

The event was organised by The Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs (FOLLATT), a long established conservation charity which operates in and around Scotland’s busiest National Park, and was assisted by the Grab Trust who provided the litter picking equipment.

Their Chairman, John Urquhart, told That's Green: “This, our second Make a Difference (MAD) event of 2026, concentrated once again on tackling the ongoing problem of littering which blights the loch side along the busy A82 between Arden and Ardlui. 

"We were especially keen to see how the removal of our lay-by bins was impacting the situation and were initially heartened to note that the lay-bys and intervening verges were generally quite presentable. 

"However, as we feared, the cleanliness was only superficial, as it quickly became clear that a substantial number of people were once again disposing of litter by throwing it into the undergrowth.

"Enquiries revealed a workforce from Argyll and Bute had indeed carried out a litter clearance operation of the road a few weeks ago, as they normally do at the start of the tourist season, but it was obvious to us this had not been an in-depth operation.

"Sadly, this just reaffirms our view that the two responsible authorities, Argyll and Bute and The National Park are continuing to neglect their duty to tackle this important issue effectively.

Meanwhile it looks like our hard-working volunteers are going to have to keep turning out to do their best to keep the bonnie banks looking their best.”

Mr Urquhart added that he wished to thank the Lodge on Loch Lomond Hotel for hosting the event and supplying FOLLAT’s somewhat damp volunteers with a delicious snack at the end of the event.

https://www.lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk

Incidentally, That's Green has launched a nationwide initiative some under the title "Don't Be a Sinner, Be a Binner!"

It calls for everyone to do their part in helping to ensure that bins are used for rubbish and that our environment is kept clean. Discarded rubbish and trash can kill pets and wildlife so it's not merely a matter of discarded items looking a mess.  

If you follow this link to the blogpost you will find useful resources and advice on how to help to be a binner and not a sinner.

https://thatsgreen.blogspot.com/2026/03/dont-be-sinner-be-binner.html

Loch Lomond Banks Refusal of Planning Application. Charity Speaks Out

A spokesman for Friends of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs said: "Regarding Land at Pier Road, Ben Lomond Way and Old Luss Road, Known as West Riverside and Woodbank House, Balloch, G83 8QX

"Erection And Operation Of A Mixed-Use Tourism And Leisure Development Including Refurbished Tourist Information Building; Up To 60-Bedroom Apartment Hotel; Up To 32-Bedspace Budget Hotel, Up To 104 No. Self-Catering Holiday Lodges; Restoration And Redevelopment/Conversion Of Woodbank House And Attendant Listed Structures For Up To 21 Self-Catering Holiday Apartments (Subject To Other Necessary Consents); Leisure Pool, Waterpark, Spa; Restaurants, Hot Food Cafe And Retail Areas; Craft Brewery Inc

"As a long-established independent conservation charity which works in and around the LL&T national Park, we have consistently supported this planning application because it has always been clear to us that with its minimal frontage on the loch, the site’s previous planning history of being zoned for leisure and recreation and its situation within an existing envelope of development, it would have zero negative impact on the special qualities of Loch Lomond and its wider surrounding area. 

"On the contrary, it would help to absorb the visitor pressures which already exist elsewhere and has the capacity to deliver many conservation and economic benefits to the area.

Their Chairman, John Urquhart (PICTURED) told That's Green: “We are disappointed, but not much surprised by Mr McKee’s decision to refuse the Lomond Banks planning application -conveniently before the Holyrood elections in May, in what we suspect is a politically motivated gambit which stands against good sense and all the planning evidence.

“The Green Party has very successfully turned this planning application into a political football, with “Saving Loch Lomond’ never being much about the merits of the planning facts, but much more about whipping up a sensational vote catching narrative. 

"However, Mr Greer’s trumpeting of success may be premature as the ancient woodland and flooding grounds for refusal cited by Mr McKee are weak and will not stand up to legal analysis should the developer decide to follow the court option which is now open to them.

"There is almost no ancient woodland on the site, most of it having been cleared well before the 19th Century. A remaining agricultural shelter belt was mostly removed during the mid-20th Century by sand and gravel excavation. 

"Ironically, what has saved the fragmentary narrow strip that now remains is the INEOS Finnart-Grangemouth oil pipelines which cross the site. The woodland whicTheh has colonised the former caravan site, rail yards and sand pits is recent. 

"It is nonetheless one of the site’s primary assets which the developer wants to retain with compensatory planting nearby or onsite to make up for any trees lost agreed at the detail stage, because, after all, the application was always only an outline proposal. The same goes for the flooding issue. 

"Most of the site is above maximum flood levels and mitigation measures for anything built lower down could readily have been developed at the detail stage.

"It is a great pity there has been so little exploration of the many economic, heritage and habitat benefits which could and should flow from such a proposal. The National Park’s planners have seemed largely blind to that, and the scheme’s huge potential has never been properly examined. Instead, many people have swallowed the populist “Save Loch Lomond” bait, including it seems, the National Park’s Board.

"In an effort to insert some balance, we outline here some examples of the kind of “planning gain” which would have been (and may yet be) available if only there was some leadership, ambition, imagination and, dare we say it, partnership.

They include:

Considerable local economic benefit including many good quality jobs during construction and then long-term operation of the business. Increased footfall would also benefit struggling Lomond Shores, Balloch and Alexandria retail and eatery businesses. Conservation of Woodbank House’s 18th century façade. Improved woodland management. 

"Promotion of Red Squirrel population versus Grey. Rewilding of Stoneymollan Burn. Support for conservation efforts around Paddle Steamer Maid of The Loch and its heritage slipway, steam winch and Balloch Pier. Conservation of Old Balloch Station. Existing woodland walks lit and maintained. Re-established public transport link between Balloch and Balloch Pier. Strengthening of woodland wildlife corridors around southern end of Loch Lomond. 

"Former (now disused) Gateway Centre repurposed to provide wet weather/indoor sports facilities for Lomond Banks residents (and the public). Facilitated by a bridge or ferry connection to Lomond Shores at Balloch Pier, repurposing of disused Balloch Castle as a café, shop, interpretation and visitor information centre. Assistance with efforts to improve peak time traffic flows at local A82 pinch points. Substantial tourism levy income to the local authority.

"It is highly unlikely any of these developments will ever occur without this kind of development”

For more information on rewilding the Stoneymollan Burn, see page 13 of the latest edition of their magazine, “Voice”, available online at https://www.lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk/voice-magazine