The construction of Trump International Golf Links Scotland “led to the direct loss” of up to 168 acres of the 205-hectare Foveran Links site in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, according to recently released government reports.
The Scottish Natural Heritage, the public body responsible for the country’s natural heritage, especially its natural, genetic and scenic diversity, said that the construction of the course damaged and destroyed drifts since its construction began a decade ago.
Trump golf course in Scotland damaged protected sand dunes, according to government documents. https://t.co/YhIYc2EnSW pic.twitter.com/gUbmpXPE0I
— ABC News (@ABC) July 30, 2018
The report was released in response to a freedom of information request by Bob Ward, policy director of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.
“The construction has removed the vast majority of the geomorphological interest within the vicinity of the golf course,” the SNH said in the documents.
“I think the problem here is the disregard (the Trump Organization has) shown and the way in which they made promises which he has not kept,” Ward said. “I think personally that the Scottish government here has not been as strong as it should have been in holding Mr. Trump to account, and I hope that they will now see the need to do that.”
The Trump Organization did not respond to the Associated Press’ request for comment. The company did, however, announce its intention last week to invest $196 million in the second stage of the resort’s development, which was originally was slated to encompass two golf courses, a 450-room hotel and as many as 1,500 homes.
During the organization’s approval process, President Trump promised to be ”fully committed to mitigating the effects of the course on the environment.” The latest $196 million raises the Trump Organization’s investment in the project to $327 million. The multiple-phase project is expected to cost nearly $1 billion by its conclusion.
