An angry homeowner who lives in the middle of Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire estate 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.