Donald Trump got turned down!!!!!!!!!

[geminisnake]

Just been on the news that Donald Trump isn't getting to build his golf resort in the Balmedie area

Absolutely ace. It's been rejected on environmental grounds, 500 houses on a SSSI!!!! Do fuck off Mr Money can buy me anything

I'm really chuffed

 

[nightowl]

good - and surprising - news

 

[pogofish]

However, there is still the possibility of an appeal/resubmission. So its not quite time to gloat. Yet.

I've not posted about it here because potentially NINBY stuff tends to get a hard time but I've been deep in with this campaign for the last few months. Its been very interesting - Trump plays dirty.

 

[pogofish]

Here are a couple of shots of the protest the other weekend:

Below is a model based pretty accurately on the available plans of the scheme.

To give you an idea of the huge scale of the development, the seashore, left hand side of the model is a full three & a half miles.

 

[pogofish]

The two main things that still give us cause for concern are:

1: This, from the meeting today:

At today's meeting, Chairman Cllr Ford, in his summing up told everyone that this would probably reported as a very black-and-white matter, but that in fact it wasn't. Every councillor stated that they cared about the north-east economy. But every councillor bar just 2, stated that they didn't want to lose the SSSI site to the development.

Jill Webster was very much for the development but was exasperated that Trump just wouldn't budge when it came to redesigning the course to avoid the SSSI.

There were 2 amendments today, the 1st to accept the proposal exactly as it was, and the 2nd was to allow the project to go ahead but with the condition that there was renegotiation on the SSSI, effectively a deferment. The 2nd was voted for by 9 votes to 5, and showed how hacked off people have been that Trump just hasn't understood how important this point is to so many people.

2: The actions & continued involvement of a certain ba-heided builder with a surprising record of mysterious fires & other "obstacle-removing" incidents is not fully clarified or discounted (GS, your other half will know exactly who I mean). So long as he is hovering about, I'd watch this place like a hawk.

Must head back to the protest board. The hostile invasion has kicked-off big time tonight!

 

[Detroit City]

Just been on the news that Donald Trump isn't getting to build his golf resort in the Balmedie area

Absolutely ace. It's been rejected on environmental grounds, 500 houses on a SSSI!!!! Do fuck off Mr Money can buy me anything

I'm really chuffed

he'll just build it elsewhere....

 

[pogofish]

Trump only recently admitted to having a "fallback plan" & today his henchman let out that this is not in Scotland.

Maybe it will go somewhere that wants it & maybe next time he will respect the local law, environment & circumstances. Here, he is trying to ride roughshod over everyone by simply waving lots of cash & celebs at us.

One thing about this one was how it linked us up with anti-Trump groups all over the world. Seems his dismal buisness record in the last decade has not dampened his determination to build.

 

[Detroit City]

well, in this defense, he does create a lot of jobs....

however, i'm not a big Trump fan meself

 

[pogofish]

He also sacks folk wholsale, esp when his buisnesses go right to the edge of failure. Never mind the numbers of smaller suppliers, contractors & creditors who have had to take catastrophic losses because of his manipulation of the US Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws to stay afloat. The big financiers of course did much better.

The size of the staff block in the proposal also suggested he was looking to the hospitality industry's gangmasters to staff the place, rather than the local area. Which has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Scotland.

A properly worked economic case was also absent from the proposals, which is unsurprising because golf tourism is in decline here & the one thing that the industry monitors seem to agree on is that the very last thing Scotland needs is another big honeypot golf development.

Some sod has just started a campaign to liberate & rehabilitate Trump's wig!

 

[Detroit City]

He also sacks folk wholsale, esp when his buisnesses go right to the edge of failure.

so what? that's standard operating procedure in the big business world.

 

[skyscraper101]

Here are a couple of shots of the protest the other weekend:

[/b]

Blimey, it's anarchy!

 

[pogofish]

North Easters are noted for being a bit stoic & reticent.

For a fucking cold, windy & early morning on the day of a Scotland match, we were overjoyed to get a good couple of hundred to turn-out. Also, transport connections there are dire

Many were also locals who had probably never protested against anything in their lives before.

Much of the real hard work involved other methods, particularly counteracting very biased press reporting & wholesale misrepresentation of the scale, economic impact & the real purpose of the scheme.

 

[pogofish]

Just been on the news that Donald Trump isn't getting to build his golf resort in the Balmedie area

Just to clarify, this was two golf courses, associated sporting facilities, an 800 bed hotel (height of a tower block & about a third of a mile long itself), a supercasino, several hundred timeshare "lodges", staff barracks, sewage works, several miles of roads & the clincher - 590-odd new houses plus expansion for up to around 1200 houses. Not just a resort, this is trying to slip an entire new town under the wire.

Entire proposal here:

http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/planning/apps/detail.asp?ref_no=APP/2006/4605#casefiles

Just heard this has made the front page of tomorrows Times.

 

[bodach]

Great deciding vote by Martin Ford.

 

[pogofish]

The police are now involved again. One of the councillors who voted against it was attacked this morning.

 

[pogofish]

Fuckit!

Thanks to a rather amazing onslaught of bitching, sorrow & even outright racism, an extra full council meeting has been called to "review" the decision.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7121366.stm

Anyone with anything to add in support of the established procedure can email Councillor Ford (cllr.m.ford@aberdeenshire.gov.uk).

If it goes anywhere else after this, is should be to the MSPs, not this.

 

[geminisnake]

he'll just build it elsewhere....

Good, fu*k off somewhere else. We like our nature and wildlife and don't want to be little america

Really hope the council don't back down

 

[pogofish]

Just seen the Evening Express - I don't think I've ever seen a more fuckwitted, biased & dishonest bit of reporting, even from them.

It also seems that I'm one of the "trators" according to them.

Think I'll be checkimg the PCC code tonight!

 

[Louloubelle]

Good for you pogofish
The photos are great too!
Can you not try to get the support of say David Attenborough? That would get everyone on your side
The Trump must be stopped!

 

[pogofish]

Thanks.

We have approached a few people who may be willing to lend their names now but TBH, we were trying to avoid the starry-eyed approach of Trump & his ilk.

In the meantime, our board is under some pretty serious & concerted attack from various sources, so if anyone wants to chip-in, the website is:

http://www.meniescotland.co.uk/

And the board is at:

http://pub17.bravenet.com/forum/1444133498/

AFAIC, I'm happy to see it linked-up anywhere that might help & I was going to say please play-fair but that seems to have gone out the window tonight as well.

 

[muckypup]

Some sod has just started a campaign to liberate & rehabilitate Trump's wig!

brilliant.

 

[pogofish]

Regret the level of threats & abuse has forced the board down FTM but it will be up again soon I hope.

 

[Louloubelle]

You could try this lot

http://www.worldlandtrust.org/about/index.htm

 

[nightowl]

And the board is at:

http://pub17.bravenet.com/forum/1444133498/

interesting to see some of the 'of course i don't support violence, but you have to understand...' type excuses from some of the scheme's supporters on there

 

[pogofish]

You should see what is going on behind the scenes as well. People who left emails there are getting some pretty nasty threats/harrassment.

They are also trying to ban me from another board where this is being discussed.

 

[nino_savatte]

I can't stand the nest-headed bastard. I hope his appeal fails and he returns to NYC with his tail between his legs. Greedy, ostentatious cunt.

 

[pogofish]

Here’s an example of the sort of attitude they have taken to us:

from his right hand man.

"There's a view we are arrogant. We are not arrogant. We set certain standards. It may be incomprehensible to smaller minds, but we have always set high standards. We presented them with a plan and hoped they could open their minds, but it was too much for them."

No, that’s not arrogant or patronising, is it?

There was also a very interesting article it nte Sunday Times Magazine yesterday which went well beyond the other hysteria. I don't think it is online so I have it scanned but I'm unsure about linking it up.

Anyone want to see it? Feel free to PM.

 

[mitochondria]

They have not managed to buy out an old Scot.

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/golf/story/0,,2187529,00.html

 

[pogofish]

No, although Michael has come under quite a lot of pressure & I'm pretty certain Trump reckons he can simply wait him out.

Should also mention that the local paper pulled two polls over the weekend, when it began to look that their claims about "total public support" for the scheme were not being bourne out by the public.

 

[mitochondria]

that's shitty. LOCAL paper, my ass.

In Michael's situation I would probably sell for the million that was (supposedly) offered. But I was born and raised in the city, the land has a different meaning for me.