Donald Trump is returning to Scotland this week to unveil his second golf course, at Turnberry in Ayrshire, but opponents are still fighting him over his first development near Aberdeen. The billionaire, now the presumptive Republican nominee for US president, faces protests and legal challenges from local residents who say his construction has ruined their lives.
Susie and John Munro, who bought their cottage 35 years ago with a clear view of the coast, now face a four-metre-high earth wall built by Trump to hide their home from sight. The berm blocks their view of the sea, and a locked gate prevents access to a public road. They claim Trump's security staff monitor their movements. “He has just ruined it for us here. He has just hemmed us in,” Susie Munro said.
In protest at Trump's pledge to build a wall on the US-Mexico border, the Munros and other neighbours plan to display Mexican flags. Michael Forbes, a quarryman who refused to sell his home to Trump, is also flying the flag. The Guardian has learned that Trump is a step closer to winning approval for 850 private homes and 1,900 leisure units on the estate, despite conflicts with the council.
Draft versions of Aberdeenshire's local development plan include key features of Trump's original £1bn resort, though only a fraction has been built. Company accounts for Trump International Golf Course Scotland showed it was £38.5m in debt in 2014 and losing over £1m a year. The course currently employs 95 people, far fewer than the 1,200 Trump promised in 2008.
Scottish government ministers approved the scheme in 2008 despite opposition from environment agencies, allowing Trump to build on a protected site of special scientific interest. Meanwhile, Trump has spent only £38.5m in Aberdeenshire, compared to the £200m he claims to have invested at Turnberry. Local residents have been told the planned five-star hotel has been dropped.
