

Donald Trump’s company has submitted plans to invest a further £150m in one of his Scottish golf resorts.

The US president owns two courses in Scotland and the development of the resort in Balmedie, near Aberdeen, has been criticised by some local people and environmentalists.

The Trump Organisation invested £100m in the first phase of development and has pledged £750m of investment in total. It plans to build 500 homes, 50 hotel cottages and a sports centre along with retail, equestrian and commercial spaces at the Balmedie resort in addition to other leisure facilities.

Eric Trump, the US president’s son who is in charge of the Trump Organisation along with his brother Donald Jr, said in a statement: “Initial interest to our plans have been incredible and, subject to detailed planning approval, we are aiming to break ground next year.”

The Guardian reported in October Trump’s loans to his Scottish golf resorts increased to more than £150m after their losses accelerated, partly because of the oil price crash and currency costs.

Accounts for his network of Scottish companies show he ploughed another £1.3m into the debt-ridden resort in Aberdeenshire to keep it afloat after its popularity slumped among local golfers affected by the North Sea crisis.

Trump International Golf Links Scotland lost nearly £1.2m in 2016, forcing Trump to increase his interest-free loans to the resort to nearly £41m ($54m) while he was campaigning for the presidency.

Trump’s larger and better known golfing resort and hotel at Turnberry in Ayrshire, which he bought in 2014, has also suffered heavy losses, largely because of its partial closure for refurbishment.

He visited Turnberry during his four-day trip to Britain this month, where he played two rounds of golf with his son Eric, 34, as an estimated 10,000 people protested against his visit in Edinburgh.

A march took place on 13 July from the Holyrood parliament and past the US consulate. A paragliding Greenpeace protester broke through the no-fly zone surrounding Turnberry on the same day, flying past police snipers trailing a banner reading “Trump: well below par #resist”.

The US government paid more than $77,000 to Turnberry for “hotel rooms for VIP visit”, according to federal spending records.

Trump’s visit was marred by the death of a US secret service agent who suffered a stroke during the president’s trip to his resort.

The agent, who had 19 years’ experience, was in Scotland working on presidential protection when he fell ill on 15 July. He had been receiving “critical care” from medics in Scotland but died on 17 July, surrounded by his family.

The US secret service confirmed the death “with great sadness and regret” in a statement and described the man as a “dedicated professional of the highest order”.



