THE Scottish Government has been urged to "call Donald Trump's bluff" after the billionaire put work on his £750 million golf resort on hold until a decision is made on an offshore wind farm proposal near the site.
Mr Trump's development on the Menie estate in Aberdeenshire includes plans for two golf courses, a hotel, 950 holiday homes and 500 houses.
While the championship course is due to be opened in June, the entrepreneur has now said the remainder of the resort will not go ahead until the Scottish Government makes a decision on the nearby wind farm.
The proposed £150m European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre would mean 11 turbines being erected one-and-a-half miles off the Aberdeenshire coast which would be visible from the US property tycoon's links course and resort at Balmedie.
Mr Trump, whose own controversial development was only approved after a local public inquiry, has previously written twice to Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond objecting to the offshore proposal and has requested ministers hold a public inquiry into the plans.
However, David Milne, whose house is next to the golf resort at Menie and who has had disagreements with Mr Trump and his staff, said little work was planned for now anyway and he urged the Government to go ahead with the wind farm despite the billionaire's objections.
He said: "Very little work would be going on just now anyway. He has permission for an access road, for the temporary clubhouse and now for the final clubhouse. But over the next while it really will only be maintenance on the course. There is nothing they need to do at this time.
"Don't forget this man is a very experienced poker player.
"This is nothing more than another bluff and Scottish ministers should call it.
"After all, this is a golf course against an entire industry which is going to carry Scotland forward to the future, and an industry the Scottish Government is already very publicly committed to, in order to deliver long-term targets.
"The choice is simple – it is between the children of the country growing up to be bed-changers and grass-cutters or growing up with the opportunity to be engineers, designers, developers and builders, along with the slew of unskilled trades that all real industry brings with it.
"The answer is quite clear – goodbye, golf course."
The wind farm developers are European power company Vattenfall, subsea and offshore engineering firm Technip, and Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG), who have already scaled the project down from 33 turbines.
A planning application for the wind farm was submitted to Marine Scotland last summer and a decision is awaited from ministers as to whether it is approved, refused or to be the subject of a public inquiry.
After gaining planning approval for a permanent clubhouse this week, the Trump Organisation issued a statement welcoming Aberdeenshire Council's decision to support "a five-star facility that will complement the world's greatest golf course".
It said the championship course would be open at the end of June, "well ahead of schedule".
However, it added: "All further plans for future development, including the hotel, are now on hold until the Scottish Government makes a decision on the application for the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre submitted by Vattenfall and AREG.
"If the north-east of Scotland is serious about tourism and creating a global golf destination it cannot allow the coastline to be ruined by an ugly industrial park directly off the shoreline."
In September, Mr Trump said the turbines were "disastrous and environmentally irresponsible" and left an "ugly cloud hanging over the future of the great Scottish coastline".
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