Homeowner refuses to sell to make way for tycoon’s golf resort
By Gillian Bell – Press and Journal
DEFIANT David Milne is refusing to sell his Hermit Point home to the Trump Organisation.
The angry homeowner lives in the middle of Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire estate and has accused the tycoon of using “bullying” tactics.
David Milne, 44, who lives at Hermit Point, is a former coastguard lookout at Menie Links, which has views of the billionaire’s north-east empire.
The house and land is one of a number of plots Mr Trump has said he needs to produce the “best possible design” for the £1billion project.
The Trump Organisation recently submitted a planning application to add five privately-owned plots to his golf resort, which includes Mr Milne’s house and land.
He said: “He’s been a real pain in many ways, the most recent one is this application for planning permission on my land. It may be legally acceptable to apply for planning permission on someone else’s land, and in certain cases it’s understandable.”
But he said the move, coupled with the potential use of compulsory purchase – raised by Aberdeenshire Council in a briefing note to members – is “immoral, unethical and a bullying tactic”.
He said he has had “practically no contact” with the organisation, apart from a “derisory” offer for his home in 2007 for a sum which would have bought him a “two-bedroom flat in Dyce”, and a recent letter to tell him the organisation was applying for planning permission for his land, which said if he wanted to sell he was to phone.
But the HSE consultant insisted last night he would not sell to Mr Trump “under any circumstances”. He said he has invested 17 years of his life in Hermit Point, which he converted from a former coastguard station into his home, which he shares with his wife, Moira.
The Menie resort project director Neil Hobday said he has sent Mr Milne an invitation to talk to the team and stressed the door was “always open”. He dismissed claims the Trump Organisation was using immoral, unethical and bullying tactics as “inaccurate on all counts”.
And he added: “The mechanism for compulsory purchase exists but we very much hope we won’t get to that.”
Mr Trump’s aide, George Sorial, said Mr Milne’s assertions were “disingenuous” and talk of compulsory purchase “very premature”. “We did make offers in the past, which were based on market value,” added Mr Sorial.
The council has said it would expect applicants to have exhausted “every possible opportunity open to them” before it would require to consider compulsory purchase powers.
The golf resort would include two championship golf courses, a hotel, 500 homes and 950 holiday homes north of the beach on the Menie Estate.
Editors comment:
Councillors who voted for this Trump development need to seriously consider how they can justify representing the interests of the community in this planning fiasco – a sign of the times…
Bottom line… It will be interesting to see just how much economic benefit will result to local residents and businesses from this development.
No doubt any profits will be used elsewhere in the globe and not for the direct benefit of Scotland or Scottish tax payers.
Let him make his golf course smaller. He should not be allowed to remove any homeowner just because he wants to build a golf course. This is not a basic need therefore he should look at other sites. He just wants to take the best views for his pocket.
Mr Trump plans to build 950 holiday apartments as part of this development. Do we really need these bearing in mind the curse of holiday homes which has blighted many small coastal and other communities. We need affordable homes suitable for first time buyers who have been priced out of the market not more holiday homes. Also the profits should be kept in Scotland for the benefit of the Scottish people. After all, the profits will have been earned by the efforts of the Scottish people so they should benefit from them.
The worst ememy a golfer can face is wind!!!!!!!!! If he wanted to DO SOMETHING ahem!!!!! for his mother or Scotland,he would have spent his money in the outer hebrides Oil is his only reason for being there,so demand a no change of plan for the next 75 years and watch the response from him after all,his second choice was Northern Ireland,which,like Aberdeen,is alongside a vast oil field.Once the special interest designation for the sand dunes is gone,this Property developer will build or sell for oil development