'Unusual behaviour' on Trump plan

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The councillor who voted out Donald Trump's £1bn golf resort plans has accused the tycoon of "demanding the surrender of the planning system".

Aberdeenshire councillor Martin Ford told a public inquiry into the plans for Menie that Mr Trump had "behaved in a very unusual way".

The US tycoon's legal team branded Mr Ford's comments "outrageous".

Mr Trump wants to build two championship golf courses, a hotel and hundreds of homes.

The application was originally rejected by Aberdeenshire Council's infrastructure services committee. Mr Ford, the committee's chairman, cast the deciding vote.

He later lost his post.

I have no idea how it will be dealt with in the future, but I have never allowed issues of the personalities involved to cloud my judgment Martin FordAberdeenshire Council

The application was then called in by the Scottish Government because of the scale of the proposals.

Much of the opposition to the plans has centred on the fact that part of a golf course would be built on sensitive sand dunes.

Mr Ford said the principle of the golf resort was welcomed by the committee.

But he insisted that "the reason advanced for going against environmental and housing policies - economic benefit - was not seen as being sufficient to justify the extremely damaging consequences of granting the application".

'No compromise'

Mr Ford said he stood by his decision, as it would "show the council was serious about wanting changes" to the application.

But he added that "the applicant made it clear that compromises would not be entertained".

He said: "The applicant behaved in a very unusual way towards the council, and effectively demanded the surrender of the planning system."

The sand dunes in the area have been the focus of concern

Colin Boyd QC, representing the Trump Organisation, said: "They were entitled to have a decision from you, they got it, and though they did not like it they accepted it.

"That is very far from your suggestion that they demanded the surrender of the planning system.

"That is an outrageous statement from someone who was chair of the infrastructure services committee to make."

Mr Boyd sought assurances from Mr Ford that, in the event of Mr Trump's application being considered again in the future, "you will have no part of it".

Mr Ford replied: "I have no idea how it will be dealt with in the future, but I have never allowed issues of the personalities involved to cloud my judgment."

Mr Boyd earlier put it to Mr Ford that there was little point in him or his three councillor colleagues giving evidence at the inquiry.

Mr Boyd said: "Let me suggest the reason you are here is to justify what was a manifestly unpopular decision not just with your council colleagues but with the public at large."

Mr Ford said of his decision: "What it meant for me personally and my popularity or lack of it was not a consideration."