The Battle To Trip Up Trump In Scotland Rages On

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
May 26th 2010 at 8:01PM

Fresh off the Celebrity Apprentice finale billionaire Donald Trump has flown to Scotland for a battle of a different kind. Trump is there to finalize plans to build what he calls the "world's greatest golf course" in Aberdeenshire but he faces continued opposition from local protestors. A group called Tripping Up Trump has formed and bought land belonging to one of the residents, Michael Forbes in an effort to thwart the £1 billion seaside development.

The land, which the group calls The Bunker, is strategically located in the heart of the resort. Trump's proposal includes two 18-hole championship golf courses, a luxury hotel and vacation residences. The group is putting the names of hundreds of protesters on the title deeds, hoping to snarl up Trump and the Aberdeenshire Council in endless paperwork if they decide to issue a compulsory purchase order for the site (a cute animated video explaining the project is after the jump).

Trump and his son Donald Jr. arrived in Aberdeen Airport and spoke with the media but did not indicate if they would be meeting with the protesters. Trump has offered residents a package which includes a promise to purchase their property at 15 percent above current market value, the opportunity to buy a house on the golf complex at cost price and lifetime membership of the golf resort but the residents have not taken him up on this offer. The master plan for the resort will be considered by Aberdeenshire Council later this year.