Donald Trump starts legal battle

Donald Trump will today take his legal challenge against plans for an offshore wind farm near the site of his Aberdeenshire golf course to ‘the highest civil court in the land’.

The Press and Journal newspaper is reporting today that the American billionaire’s senior team – including his son Donald Jr and George Sorial, the Trump Organisation’s executive vice-president in New York – will attend a judicial review at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, which will begin this morning and which is expected to last up to four days.

The P&J has also revealed that Edinburgh law firm Dundas and Wilson have been hired by Trump to lead the challenge against the proposed £230million European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre.

Should Donald Trump’s opposition fail, 11 turbines would be built just over a mile from the coastline of his eponymous links, which opened to significant acclaim last year.

“You will single-handedly have done more damage to Scotland than virtually any event in Scottish history.” – Donald Trump

The 18-hole championship course at Trump International Golf Links Scotland was the first completed phase of a proposed major development on the site at Balmedie by the American tycoon. However, with the offshore wind farm wranglings ongoing, Donald Trump has shelved all other plans for the site, with the exception of confirmation earlier this year that he planned to build a second 18-hole course – as exclusively revealed to bunkered in 2010.

Trump has long been a vocal opponent of the wind farm, which he referred to earlier this year as “ugly monstrosities” and “horrendous machines”. He also accused First Minister Alex Salmond of being “hell-bent on destroying Scotland’s coastline” by approving the project and told him last year: “With the reckless installation of these monsters, you will single-handedly have done more damage to Scotland than virtually any event in Scottish history.”

Salmond hit back: “We welcome investment in Scotland, in industry, technology and in golf courses, but investing in Scotland does not imply ownership of Scotland and in particular the energy policy of this country will be determined by the people and the parliament of Scotland and not by any other party.”

DO YOU AGREE WITH DONALD TRUMP?

Is Donald Trump right to oppose the offshore wind farm project? What are your thoughts on the American’s Scottish golf course development? Have your say in our ‘Comments’ section below.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor