Eco-campaigner hopes council will sell her land earmarked for Trump
good opportunity to put in my bid to be considered on equal footing with theirs, says Sue Edwards
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An eco-campaigner is hoping her local council will sell her a small plot of land – which has already been earmarked for Donald Trump’s luxury golf resort.
Sue Edwards, of Hillhead Croft, Chapel of Garioch, near Inverurie, wants to buy the half-acre owned site to encourage whale and dolphin watching in the area.
The Trump Organisation recently received permission to add four privately owned homes and two plots of land – including the one Mrs Edwards wants to buy – to the blueprint for his £1billion Menie Estate golf resort near Balmedie.
Mrs Edwards, who opposes the billionaire’s plans, has written Aberdeenshire Council chief executive Colin Mackenzie and transport director Iain Gabriel announcing her intention to buy the site.
She said the plot was originally a small car park designed to provide access to the beach midway between Balmedie and the Ythan Estuary.
She said: “I realised that the council were probably intending to sell this piece of land to the Trump Organisation, and that it was a good opportunity to put in my bid to be considered on an equal footing with theirs. However, unlike the Trump Organisation, there would be no need for me to apply for planning permission as I intend to use the land as a car park to enable people to be able to access the dune area.
“Possible interpretation boards about the cetaceans seen along our coast could eventually be erected, however, and these would be the subject of planning consent. The dunes north of Balmedie are the next in a line of land watch sites from Aberdeen harbour northwards, and it is eventually hoped to join the best sites into a long coastal dolphin trail which is expected to boost wildlife visitor numbers considerably.
“Species commonly seen from the dunes have included minke whales, Rissos dolphins, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises – as well as the bottlenose dolphins that Aberdeen city is renowned for.
“To be able to sit at fairly close quarters and watch the family groups feeding is really something special.”
She said the blueprint for the golf resort appears to show the car park will be grassed over and become part of the golf course surroundings.
“It is therefore felt that to turn it into access for a dedicated cetacean land watch site would fit extremely well into the Trump masterplan, and also ensure that access to that part of Balmedie beach is continued well into the future,” added Mrs Edwards. An Aberdeenshire Council spokesman said: “We will be responding to Mrs Edwards directly in connection with her request.”
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