April 13, 2014
Ireland

Wind turbine plan at Trump’s Irish golf course withdrawn

By Ben Robinson | The Sunday Post | 13 April 2014 | www.sundaypost.com

Plans for a giant wind farm close to Donald Trump’s new golf course have been thrown out – after the tycoon personally intervened.

The US billionaire recently bought a golf course on the west coast of Ireland for £12.4 million.

He made the investment after losing his fight to stop an off-shore wind farm near his course in Aberdeenshire.

But he landed in a fresh battle after it emerged a planning application for a nine-turbine windfarm had been lodged just miles from Doonbeg, County Clare.

However, the application was mysteriously withdrawn shortly before it was due to go before the council’s planners. Campaigners fighting the development have since revealed Mr Trump called them to offer his help in opposing the bid.

Tony Lowes, director of Friends of the Irish Environment, said: “Mr Trump was very active. He called me up himself and said they were opposed to the windfarm and noticed the work we had done.

“It was certainly an unusual phone call to get. He just said he knew we were very active in the efforts to oppose it and if there was anything that could be done to let him know.”

Mr Lowes had opposed the development, which was a scaled-down version of a larger wind farm turned down last year, over fears it would damage the area’s delicate ecology.

He received a letter from Clare County Council which said the application would not go ahead and was now deemed “invalid”.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/04/13/wind-turbine-plan-at-trumps-irish-golf-course-withdrawn/