Neighbour joins Trump in fight over wind farm

ONE of the world’s oldest golf clubs has joined forces with Donald Trump in objecting to proposals for the wind farm off the Aberdeenshire coast which the tycoon claims has forced him to put plans for his luxury golf resort on hold.

The American billionaire announced earlier this week that he will not spend “another penny” on the development at the Menie Estate near Balmedie until it has been confirmed that the proposed 11 turbine European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) is being moved away from the coastline.

Neighbouring Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, the sixth oldest club in the world, is also planning to lodge a formal objection to the turbine development.

The development, spearheaded by Swedish electricity firm Vattenfall, will stretch from Aberdeen to an area off Blackdog, an estimated one-and-a-half miles from the Menie links. The turbines will be up to 640ft high – twice the size of the Big Ben clock tower.

Ronnie MacAskill, the director of golf at Royal Aberdeen, confirmed that the club would be officially objecting to the offshore wind farm plan.

He said: “If you are a golfer then your preference would not be to look at giant wind turbines. Lots of people come to enjoy and experience the best of what is a very natural and historic site here.

“The general feeling is that anything which encroaches upon that would be detrimental. We will be lodging an objection along those lines.”

David Rodger, a spokesman for the project partners, said: “We believe that EOWDC is crucial to the future economy of the region – home of Europe’s energy capital, Aberdeen – and is of strategic importance to the development of the offshore wind sector for Scotland, the UK and, indeed, Europe.”