THE man who vetoed Donald Trump's plans for a £1 billion golf resort yesterday accused the tycoon of "demanding the surrender of the planning system".
Giving evidence at a public inquiry into the scheme, Councillor Martin Ford said Mr Trump had "behaved in a very unusual way towards the council" when lodging his application and that he had not been prepared to compromise.
During a heated exchan
ge, Mr Trump's legal team branded Mr Ford's comments "outrageous" and sought assurances that he would play no further part in deciding the application.
Mr Trump wants to build two championship golf courses, a five-star hotel and hundreds of houses at the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire. The application was rejected last year by Aberdeenshire Council's infrastructure services committee, when Mr Ford, the chairman, used his casting vote.
It was then called in by the Scottish Government, given the scale of the proposals.
Much of the opposition to the plan has centred on the fact part of a golf course would be built on sensitive sand dunes – a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Yesterday, Mr Ford – who was later sacked as chairman of the committee –
said the principle of a golf resort had been welcomed by the committee. But he insisted "the reason advanced for going against environmental and housing policies – economic benefit – was not seen as being sufficient to justify the extremely damaging consequences of granting the application".
Mr Ford said he stood by his decision, as it would "show the council was serious about wanting changes" from the applicant. But he added that "the applicant made it clear that compromises would not be entertained". He said: "The applicant behaved in a very unusual way towards the council and effectively demanded the surrender of the planning system."
Colin Boyd, QC, representing the Trump Organisation, told Mr Ford: "They were entitled to have a decision from you; they got it, and, though they did not like it, they accepted it. That is very far from your suggestion that they demanded the surrender of the planning system.
"That is an outrageous statement … to make."
Meanwhile, Dave Morris, the director of Ramblers Scotland, told the inquiry Mr Trump seemed to have "little knowledge" of Scotland's new right-to-roam legislation. "He appeared to believe that he could establish a gated housing and leisure development with security personnel to keep the public out," he said.
Mr Morris accused Mr Trump of seeking more privacy than the Queen, saying: "Right to roam applies to most of Scotland's land and water, including the Queen's Balmoral Estate and Mohamed al-Fayed's Balnagowan Estate. If these landowners are comfortable with right to roam, then Donald Trump has no business seeking greater privacy on his land."
The inquiry later heard claims that more than 150 helicopter flights a day could be made between Aberdeen Airport and Menie if the resort is built.
The full article contains 490 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
