Planners back controversial housing plan by Trump estate

Planners in Aberdeenshire have backed the Trump Organisation’s controversial expansion of its loss-making Scottish golf resort, despite admitting it flouts the local authority’s own policies and represents a “significant departure” from the company’s original proposals.

Stephen Archer, director of infrastructure services at Aberdeenshire Council, said that although the planned Trump Estate development fell foul of numerous policies, its potential economic benefits have “considerable merit”.

He has recommended members of the council’s Formartine area committee approve the expansion subject to conditions at its meeting next week. It would then have to be ratified by the full council.

The Trump Organisation has promised to spend £150 million building up to 500 homes, as well as 50 “hotel cottages” along with retail and commercial space. Some 21,640 people have objected to the initiative. It has received just three letters of support.

In a document to be considered by councillors, Mr Archer said although there was not “sufficient evidence” to show the scheme complied with Aberdeenshire’s local development plan, a meeting with “a number of consultees” made it clear that “all the technical issues and concerns can be addressed”.

He said the application was “a significant departure from the allocation in terms of the original phasing” set out in the 2008 outline planning application, as well as a Section 75 agreement, but emphasised that it “meets the requirements of other key policies”.

Under the terms of the original masterplan – which was rejected by the council before being approved by Scottish ministers – the Trump Organisation was only allowed to build private dwellings after tourist facilities were in place.

Mr Archer said that while changes “makes it less attractive economically by providing more residential housing before tourism infrastructure”, the application “must be treated on its own merits”.

Martin Ford, the Green councillor who blocked the plans for Mr Trump’s resort in 2008, said: ”If Aberdeenshire Council ultimately does give approval to the proposal, what we will be left with is a large housing scheme in an inappropriate location justified as a cross-funding mechanism for a golf resort that was never built. That would represent a major failure of the planning system and the planning authority.

“Ten years after outline permission was granted, very little of the proposed development has been built and actual investment and employment are a tiny fraction of what was promised. Effectively, people were conned ... there is no reason to believe Trump’s claims about the current application and the council will look ridiculous if it falls for the Trump sales pitch a second time.”

0 Donald Trump’s organisation is promising to spend £150m