Trump homes plan at Menie to be focus of hearing

The Trump Estate is the project branding

The Trump Organisation's plans for hundreds of homes at its golf resort in Aberdeenshire are due to be the focus of a hearing.

The plans include the construction of more than 500 homes at Menie, as well as shops, offices and food outlets.

The pre-determination hearing will take place at Ellon Community Campus on Wednesday evening. No final decision will be taken.

Councillors will first visit the site of the development.

Points will then be put to the Formartine area committee. The matter will later go to full council.

'Weak substitute'

The plan is to invest £150m in the development at Menie.

Branded The Trump Estate, it would feature a range of two, three, four and five-bedroom cottages, priced from £295,000, to larger properties costing more than £1m.

Last month, it emerged that a council memo described the plans as a "weak substitute" for the original proposals put forward 10 years ago.

The plans were now said to be "weighted very heavily" towards residential housing rather than tourism.

The Trump Organisation described the remarks in the memo as "naive at best".