Donald Trump loses fight over Scots wind farm
23:19Friday 05 June 2015
US BILLIONAIRE Donald Trump has lost his latest legal challenge against an offshore wind farm project near his Scottish golf resort.
Proposals to build the 11-turbine scheme off the Aberdeenshire coast were approved by the Scottish Government in 2013.
The scheme is opposed by the property developer, who claims that it would spoil the view from his luxury golf links at the Menie estate.
The Trump Organisation went to Edinburgh’s Court of Session for a review of the Scottish Government’s decision not to hold a public inquiry on the wind farm application and their decision to grant consent for the project.
The petition was dismissed in February last year and Scotland’s most senior judge, Lord Gill, has now ruled that the earlier decision was legal.
Mr Trump has previously said he will pull the plug on plans to further develop his resort near Balmedie if the wind farm goes ahead.
The European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) project is a joint venture by Vattenfall Wind Power and Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG), who say the turbines would be capable of yielding enough electricity to power 68,000 UK households over a year.
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: “This result is good news for Scotland and for all those interested in cutting carbon emissions and creating jobs.
“Once again the courts have seen through Trump’s flimsy, misguided attempts to frustrate Scotland’s ambition to create clean power and green jobs. It’s now time for Mr Trump to stop wasting any more time and money on this case.
Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie said: “This spurious legal action has gone on too long already and we cannot allow Trump’s inflated ego to delay our renewables industry a moment longer.”