Drama Continues Over Trump Hotel and Timeshare Resort

It was a safe prediction to say that we hadn’t heard the last of the controversy over the Trump hotel and timeshare resort planned for construction near Aberdeen, Scotland, despite the application being rejected last week by the Aberdeenshire local council.

If you haven’t been following the story, there have been too many ups and downs in this hotel and timeshare resort project for me to properly take you through all of them. Let’s just say that on the negative side there have been environmental concerns, some very resistive Scottish farmers, and a host of objections that range from the traffic and activity the two golf courses, hotel, luxury homes and timeshare condos would generate, to a general sense of “we just don’t want it here,” voiced by some of the area residents.

On the positive side, there is the promise of new jobs, a huge boost to the local economy, the possibility of hosting a future British Open, and Donald Trump’s desire to pay homage to the Scottish roots of his late mother, not to mention, I assume the chance for a number of people to make big bucks along the way.

After being rejected in November by the local councilors, the Trump Organization, according to the New York Times, announced they might just build their $2 billion project in Northern Ireland.

The fallout from that statement led to others, higher up the Scottish political hierarchy, deciding it was time to interject themselves into the situation. BBC NEWS says that Labour Aberdeen Central MSP, Lewis Macdonald, addressed parliament, explaining that the situation had arisen because, “Aberdeenshire planning chiefs had delegated powers of authority over ‘vital’ decisions in their own area.”

This prompted Brian Adam, the SNP MSP for Aberdeen North to say, “I am very concerned that if this development doesn’t go ahead, it’s going to deliver an international message that Scotland is not the kind of place to come and invest in.” The Scotsman.com quoted Lewis Macdonald, the Labour MSP for Aberdeen Central, as saying, “The bigger picture here is about the kind of message that Scotland is sending out to the world and about whether we’re able to take opportunities when they arise.”

If you have followed my over six months of writing about this in the Timeshare Owners Blog, then you know that the planned resort sounds spectacular. Trump International Golf Links Scotland would create one more jewel in Scotland’s crown of legendary golf courses, which start in the south at Muirfield, and include St. Andrews, Gleneagles, Carnoustie, Royal Aberdeen, Murcar, Nairn, Inverness, and finally Royal Dornoch in the north. The hotel and timeshare resort’s design would be elegant, a showpiece to the Scottish countryside.

Whether this is a case of a few naysayers thwarting development for an entire region, or if the people of the Aberdeen coastal area have valid concerns about negative environmental and social change to their homeland, I am just too far away from the situation to say with certainty. But I can’t help but wonder, when the local people have fought this so hard and for so long, why does a developer persist in pursuing the location? I am willing to bet there are suitable places to build this resort where the residents would welcome The Donald and his development dollars with open arms.

We’ve had a few interesting comments from people with strong opinions on the plans for this golf course, hotel, and timeshare resort, and I really appreciate it when our readers share their thoughts. Anyone else like to add to the discussion?

Here’s a very cool virtual tour on YouTube of another one of Trump’s controversial projects the Trump SoHo Condos.