Donald Trump jun believes golfers will be teeing-off at his father’s £1billion Aberdeenshire resort within 18 months but he has warned that the 1,500 homes planned for the site will not be built until the recession is over.
The tycoon’s son told campaigners fighting plans to build the world’s greatest golf course north of Aberdeen to “give up” yesterday as work finally started at the site.
As contractors moved on to the Menie Estate, it emerged the Trump Organisation is close to striking deals with two of the landowners who have properties in the area covered by the masterplan for the project.
On Tuesday, councillors paved the way for preparatory work to be done to stabilise the 1.7million sqft of shifting sand dunes around what will become the championship golf course.
Despite the threat of legal action by the Tripping Up Trump group to stop the work, Mr Trump jun and project director George Sorial led contractors on to the site yesterday morning.
Mr Trump jun said: “Today is incredibly significant, it is the culmination of four years of very hard and very important work and something that is very near and dear to our hearts.
“It’s great to be no longer at the point where we are talking about planning and development but are actually doing construction work.
“I hope to see the first people playing golf here within 18 months to two years. Some of the construction is going to be weather-dependent, so it will depend on what mother nature throws at us over the next few seasons.”
He added: “Once we start talking about real estate development rather than golf course development, a lot of that is going to be market-dependent.
“We have approval for 1,500 homes but if the market is not there, it would be irresponsible for us to go forward and just build it. So a lot of that is dependent on the market and when it comes back. That said, we wouldn’t be sinking in the funds that we are if we didn’t believe that the market would come back.”
Before the course can be built, specialists will be brought in to lay marram grass to stabilise the sand dunes, which are a site of special scientific interest.
That work should start in three weeks once planning formalities are sorted out, although those campaigning against the plans say they will do all they can to block the work.
Mr Trump jun said: “I think the protesters are wasting their time and should give up, but it seems as though they have a lot of free time. They are going to try and make a name for themselves.”
The project, involving two golf courses, a 450-bedroom hotel, 950 holiday homes and 500 houses, was approved in principle by the Scottish Government last November.
Mr Trump has since added five plots of land he does not own to the plans, but a handful of residents are refusing to sell their homes to him, despite the organisation’s recent cash offers to them.
Aberdeenshire Council has not ruled out the possibility of using compulsory purchase orders (CPO) to acquire the properties.
However, the Press and Journal understands that Mr Trump is close to agreeing deals with two landowners.
One, pensioner Vic Henderson, 80, of Coastguard Cottages, has lived beside the Menie Estate for more than 50 years but last night he said he would be willing to make way for the scheme.
Mr Sorial said the overall masterplan for the whole project, including housing, should be submitted to Aberdeenshire Council by January. If it is backed by councillors, work on the hotel could start next year.