Trump due to renew demands to seize homes

Last September, faced with mounting public anger, Mr Trump backed down and shelved his demands that compulsory purchase orders be used against residents on the Menie estate refusing to sell him their home.

Speaking a few days before Aberdeenshire Council voted on whether to rule out compulsory purchase, Donald Trump Jnr indicated that the request to use it was being postponed for six months. (Note 1)

That suggests Mr Trump will want the Council to decide in March if it will use compulsory purchase orders to evict home owners at Menie.

Commenting, Councillor Martin Ford said: "A delay of six months means the request that the Council use its compulsory purchase powers is likely to be renewed very soon.

"Any decision on compulsory purchase would be taken by the full Aberdeenshire Council. There are full Council meetings on 11 March and 29 April. It would be prudent for those opposed to the use of compulsory purchase for Mr Trump to plan on the basis that the Council might seek to take its decision on 11 March, and to be ready for that."

Councillor Ford has made very clear his strong opposition to the use of compulsory purchase to force families to leave the Menie estate. He tabled the motion against compulsory purchase debated at the Aberdeenshire Council meeting on 1 October last year.

Councillors in all the political groups on Aberdeenshire Council have voiced opposition to compulsory purchase being used on behalf of Mr Trump. Other opponents include Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles and the Scottish Green Party. Around 15,000 people have signed a petition calling on Aberdeenshire Council not to use compulsory purchase.

A YouGov poll published last November showed 74 per cent of Scots opposed to the use of compulsory purchase to force residents from their homes at Menie.

Said Cllr Ford: "It is obviously wrong to throw a family out of their own home – a major, life-changing event – just because their presence is an inconvenience to a non-resident land-owner wanting to do exactly as he pleases.

"After all, Mr Trump has sufficient land already. Enough for a truly massive development. We know – because he said so – that Mr Trump could build his golf resort and housing development on the Menie estate using the land he already owns. He may want more land but he does not need it. That too should be sufficient reason for the Council not to use compulsory purchase."

Cllr Debra Storr is one of the four councillors representing the Ellon and District ward that includes most of the Menie estate. She has strongly opposed the use of compulsory purchase against local families she represents.

Cllr Storr said: "Humanity demands the Trump Organisation abandon its cruel attempt to have local families forced from their homes."

It is thought Mr Trump has little chance of getting the Council to use compulsory purchase against his neighbours.

Councillor Martin Ford has said many times he believes that at least the vast majority of Aberdeenshire councillors are instinctively opposed to the use compulsory purchase to secure land for a private developer.

"I don't see there ever being a majority in favour of compulsory purchase to secure land for a private housebuilder or leisure development," he said.

Notes