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Golf club gets the wind up over giant turbine
Credit: Saturday April 21, 2012, By Dean Herbert, express.co.uk ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Members of a historic Scottish golf club are furious about a giant wind turbine looming over them.
Officials at the Royal Aberdeen, the sixth oldest club in the world, were horrified to see the 218ft mast go up just 40ft from the 14th tee.
They claim they were not consulted and now fear it will affect the club’s status as one of the top 100 courses in the world.
The structure has also angered US tycoon Donald Trump, who is fighting the Scottish Government over an offshore windfarm within sight of his Menie Estate golf complex.
The turbine was built by engineering firm Rubberatkins to supply power its HQ at the Aberdeen Science and Energy Park, just outside the course.
But club officials say they only became aware of the proposal after planning permission had been granted.
Ronnie MacAskill, the director of golf, said they received no formal notification of the plans, and that the application was advertised in a free newspaper and was not seen by the club’s committee.
He said: “The turbine towers above the 14th tee, causing considerable disturbance to golfers when teeing off on one of the strongest holes on this ancient, classic, natural links.
“Easter brought out the first visitors of 2012. Their comments were ‘a great golf course in magnificent condition, but how did that turbine get there?’
“It is naive to think that the unsympathetic placement of wind turbines, onshore and offshore, will not impact considerably on organisations such as Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, which has quietly contributed much to the local community since 1780.”
The club, like American entrepreneur Trump, is fighting a plan for an offshore windfarm in Aberdeen Bay.
Mr Trump said: “Royal Aberdeen is a wonderful course – one of the jewels of world golf – and it has been destroyed overnight. I don’t know what is going on in Scotland. This is terrible. The whole course is destroyed now.
“If this happened next to my course, I would sue Scotland in a second. I can’t believe what is going on.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “The application was considered by elected members in an open and transparent way, taking account of appropriate material planning considerations.”
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