Neil Hobday, the former project director for Donald Trump's golf resort in Aberdeenshire, has said Scotland was 'hoodwinked' by the ex-president's claim that the development would be a £1bn project. Speaking to the BBC Sounds podcast Trumped, Hobday expressed regret over his involvement, stating he felt 'hoodwinked and ashamed' that he and Scotland fell for the promise.
The Trump International Golf Links course, which opened in 2012, was initially touted as a £1bn investment. However, Hobday now believes Trump never had the money or intention to complete the full development, which included plans for a 450-room hotel, 950 holiday apartments, 36 golf villas and 500 houses. None of these have materialised, and the resort has yet to turn a profit, accumulating £13.3m in losses since opening.
The original planning permission, granted by Scottish ministers after overruling local council objections, was based on the potential economic benefits outweighing environmental harm. The course was built on part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, which later lost its protected status due to the development. Trump Organization accounts show the facility has a net book value of £33.2m and employs 81 people.
Hobday, who helped broker the deal after contacting Trump in 2005, said the former president was willing to 'fight the environmental battle' to create the impression of a major project. The resort was last year included in a New York civil court ruling that found Trump had misrepresented his wealth, including a 'false valuation' of the Aberdeenshire course. Trump is appealing the $464m (£365m) judgment.
