Opposing The Donald

Jeremy Watson reports that opposition is building against The Donald's Scottish development. Frankly I'm shocked.

Both the Ramblers Association Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) will today lodge formal objections with Aberdeenshire Council, claiming the proposed Trump International Golf Links at Menie Links will seriously damage an ancient sand-dune system.

Frankly, the name alone should be enough for most people to object.

The Ramblers say the huge development - which includes two championship golf courses, a 500-bedroom hotel and hundreds of new luxury homes - will destroy the rural character of the area and be in breach of local and national planning guidelines.

It also argues that by increasing the number of golf tourists flying into north-east Scotland from destinations across the world the development will add to global warming. The SWT says Trump's plans to "stabilise" the sand dunes will destroy their value as a wildlife habitat.

So far the majority of the 60 responses to the scheme from local environmental organisations and individuals have also come out against the project