Council under pressure to rule out compulsory purchase

 

Aberdeenshire councillor Martin Ford said: "It was brave and courageous of Mrs Forbes to challenge the decision to grant Mr Trump planning permission to use the land on which Mrs Forbes' home is sited to further expand his proposed leisure resort. That she has decided not to continue her challenge is completely understandable. Mrs Forbes and the other residents at Menie who have been subject to Mr Trump's campaign of bullying and intimidation have proved to be remarkably resilient, but there is a limit to how much pressure anyone can take.

"That Mrs Forbes did not secure legal aid is obviously a major factor in her decision. I am appalled that, because she is not wealthy, she has, in effect, been denied the right to challenge a decision in favour of a hostile developer that could lead to her being forced from her home. Basic human rights are at stake here, and that is important not just for Mrs Forbes and the other Menie residents, but for everyone whose home maybe coveted by a greedy developer.

"I understand Mr Trump, a billionaire he tells us, is demanding that Mrs Forbes pay costs. This is monstrous. All Mrs Forbes has done is to try to defend her home against Mr Trump's bullying demands.