A storm is brewing on the banks of Loch Lomond. One of Scotland’s most serene beauty sites has been rocked by a planning and environmental row that swamps anything the elements can throw at it.

Last week, updated plans for a £30m leisure facility near the small town of Balloch at the southern end of the loch were presented to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park. The project has the backing of Scottish Enterprise, the government agency tasked with stimulating economic development and investment.

Local residents are aghast. “If they can sell off something as beautiful and historic as Loch Lomond without any government intervention, nowhere in Scotland can be considered off-limits to developers,” said Alannah Maurer, who was born and brought up nearby. Pointing out the places that formed her childhood playground, she added: “This beautiful place was formed over hundreds of millions of years and has been bequeathed to the nation and not to boost the portfolio of billionaire developers.”

The plans include a 60-bedroom “aparthotel”, another 32-bedroom facility that the developers describe as “budget accommodation”, self-catering units and six private houses that are expected to sell for about £800,000 each. Remarkably, this beautiful, wooded stretch of shore was originally purchased by Scottish Enterprise for about £200,000.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Plans for the Lomond Banks resort, with 60-bedroom apart-hotel, 32-bedroom budget hotel, craft brewery, leisure centre and restaurants. Photograph: PA

In 2016, SE announced that the preferred bidder for the site was Flamingo Land, a developer best-known for a theme park and zoo in North Yorkshire. Scottish Enterprise insisted, however, that the development – now named Lomond Banks – would “clearly recognise the key sensitivities of developing within Scotland’s national parks”.

Since then, however, local opposition has built. Neither the SNP nor Labour has chosen to step in, but the Scottish Greens have collected more than 40,000 objections and next month the Green MSP Ross Greer hopes to deliver 50,000 signatures to the national park authority.

“The success of tourism at Loch Lomond comes from the world-famous natural beauty of our national park,” said Greer. “For the sake of a private developer’s profit margins, that world-famous natural beauty, and many jobs and businesses currently dependent on it, are now at risk. Flamingo Land’s own impact assessment was clear about water pollution, destruction of ancient woodland, harm to protected species [including red squirrels and otters] and much more.”

Cameron McNeish, a prominent author, broadcaster and outdoor specialist, said he, too was worried about the proposals: “I do have some grave concerns regarding this proposal. This is public land and has been used by the people of Balloch for a long time. So why is the Scottish government, which says it is committed to land reform, happy to sell off public land at a knock-down price?

“This is public green space, but if this deal goes ahead, it will be turned into a private development. I don’t think that is acceptable or conforms to the spirit of land reform.”

Supporters claim that the land in question is derelict and that a development such as this will enhance the local area. Andy Miller, director of Lomond Banks and former director of sales for Flamingo Land, said: “We are fully committed to seeing Balloch become the true gateway to Loch Lomond. Our plans for West Riverside and Woodbank House offer an opportunity for a unique leisure-based development and, with Lomond Banks, Scotland will have a quality destination that respects and complements the surrounding area.”

If approved, Lomond Banks is due to open in 2024 and would create almost 200 jobs, according to the developers.

The Loch Lomond row comes hot on the heels of two other controversial projects involving the sale of famous Scottish sites. One is a luxury housing development near the war graves at Culloden battlefield; the other is a golf resort at Coul in Aberdeenshire that will be built over protected sand dunes.

It has never been easier, it seems, to annexe a “wee bit hill and glen” and turn it into a private playground. As Greer’s petition, which last night had been signed by more than 44,000 people, says: “This is about protecting our environment, but it’s also about the fundamental question of who owns Scotland and who our beautiful country is for.”