David Ross
Highland Correspondent
CONSERVATIONISTS are calling for a planning system in which developers
deliver their promised benefits to local communities, before they
irrevocably damage the environment.
The change was proposed in the wake of Donald Trump’s comment that he would
not spend more on his planned golf resort at Menie, Aberdeenshire after
losing his legal challenge against the Scottish Government’s decision to
consent to 11 offshore turbines nearby.
He has withdrawn his application for a second golf course.
According to critics, Menie’s environmentally important sand dune system,
designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, has been ruined by the
laying of Mr Trump’s first golf course.
Aedán Smith, head of Planning and Development for RSPB Scotland said if the
Trump Organisation was to abandon its plans for full investment, it would
be “incredibly frustrating”.
He said RSPB Scotland and many others had strongly opposed the development
because of the environmental damage it would cause. But they were overruled
by the Scottish Government, who considered the economic and social
advantages of the project would outweighed the harm caused to the environment.
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said the planning permission was subject
to many conditions to protect the environmental sensitivity of the site.
She said: “These conditions are being monitored and enforced by
Aberdeenshire Council.”
A spokeswoman for Trump International said plans for Menie would have
progressed more quickly had it not been for the turbines issue.
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