14 DAY TRIAL // The beautiful and, as of yet, highly protected area of Scotland's Aberdeenshire coastline, housing unique sand dunes and ecosystem diversity, is about to be turned into a leisure retreat for the world's billionaires, as if there weren't enough of those already. The Scottish government, blinded by promises of money and "economical development," approved the construction of one $1.5 billion resort in the area, with no regard whatsoever for the environment.
The area in question was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which surely means that it must have some importance for science, in that people in white robes walk around looking at plants and such. Their "hobby" can wait, if a billionaire decides he wants to build a 5-star hotel, two championship gulf courses, and about 1,000 other homes and apartments.
But here's the kicker – he could have built the courses so they wouldn't conflict with the area. But that would have caused inconveniences for all sport-loving rich people, in that they would have had to drive their gulf carts on a curbed road instead of a straight one. So, the planners decided to skip all the problems and build the resort as they pleased. They lured the authorities into the deal, either by fake promises, or through some well-placed dollars.
Ironically, the "potent" investment is halted by a farmer, Michael Forbes, who doesn't want to relocate from his property to make room for the all-important, above-mentioned gulf course. Trump already offered him cash to get lost, but he gently refused and remained put.
The former (guess why that is) chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s planning committee, Martin Ford, said "A billionaire’s vanity project has been put ahead of a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The decision to build a golf course on an SSSI amounts to wanton vandalism. It is gratuitous, because at the inquiry it was demonstrated that it was possible to accommodate the golf course on the estate without using the SSSI."