Oil prices could sink resort

Councillor points to travel problems

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SOARING oil prices and the faltering global economy could render the golf resort redundant before it is even built.

That was the forecast from Aberdeenshire councillor Martin Ford during his closing submission to the public local inquiry.

“Peak oil is upon us and, given the rising demand for oil from India and China, it is unlikely that future long-distance travel will be as commonplace as now,” he said. “Is our economic future one in which this kind of resort will flourish, or is it more likely that future behaviour and the need to act sustainably will render it redundant before it is built?”

Speaking on behalf of fellow councillors Paul Johnston, Alistair Ross and Debra Storr — who support the decision of the local authority’s infrastructure services committee in November to refuse permission for the resort — Mr Ford said the economic case for the development was not strong enough to merit the many serious breaches of the development plan which would be necessary for it to proceed.

“In our view, the evidence before this inquiry has shown there is great uncertainty about the economic benefit that would flow from the development, while no such doubt applies to the adverse environmental impacts.

“It is clear that the economic benefits will not be of national importance and that similar economic benefit could potentially be realised from a development that, for example, avoided using the site of special scientific interest.

“Granting outline planning permission for the application as it stands is, therefore, not justified.”

Mr Ford disputed the much-repeated description of the development as a £1billion resort.

“This is not and has never been a £1billion development,” he stated.

Instead, he said, the Trump Organisation’s own figures put the value of the development at between £22.3million and £33.5million locally and £49.2million and £32.8million nationally.

In percentage terms, this equated to between 0.18% and 0.25% of the total value of the north-east economy and between 0.03% and 0.05% of the Scottish economy.

“Even the applicant’s figures show the development not to be of national importance in economic terms,” said Mr Ford. “Nor is it significant for the north-east of Scotland.”

He urged the reporters to weigh up the economic value of the sand dunes in their current state — as a place of recreation which contributed to the quality of life of the north-east and helped attract skilled workers to the region, as an area of scientific study and a unique tourist attraction.

He continued: “Such wild places are part of our national identity. And our reputation here and internationally depends on us protecting our remaining wildernesses.

“We cannot preach to others about preserving rain forest rather than exploiting it for short-term profit if we do not look after our own environmental capital.”