International tycoon Donald Trump has announced that he still wants to build his second golf course in Aberdeenshire, despite withdrawing a planning application to do so last year.
The US billionaire withdrew his plans for a second 18-hole course at the Menie Estate in Balmedie after losing a legal battle with developers of an offshore windfarm visible from the course, which he claimed would “bight a magnificent landscape.”
Speaking to golfing magazine Today’s Golfer, Mr Trump said: “I will build a second course in Aberdeen.
“I held off building the planned second course and hotel because of the offshore windmills, but that’s a battle I’m winning and frankly the recent drop in fuel prices make the windmills totally uneconomic, they were uneconomic at $100 a barrel, at $50 a barrel they don’t make sense at all.
“I’m in court to stop them because I don’t want them to blight a magnificent landscape like they have elsewhere in Scotland. I did Scotland a big favour, believe me.
“I have such tremendous love for the people of Aberdeen and they love what I’ve done. It’rs interesting that a couple of people can create the feeling that what I did wasn’t popular, when in fact we have a tremendous popularity.
“But people don’t write about that, they write about some guy who wanted to get more money than his land was worth.
“Trump International in Aberdeen has been a great success, and has got phenomenal ratings.
“Right now I’m building a permanent clubhouse which is going to be beautiful and will be ready to open in time for the new season. We’ll be very proud of it.”
A spokesman for the windfarm developers, Aberdeen Offshore Windfarm Limited, said: “With any developments of this size, there are challenges which are factored into the schedule as the project partners work towards seeing the scheme come to fruition.”