Donald Trump has bought Doonbeg golf course in the west of Ireland "after losing a legal challenge to an offshore wind farm project within sight of his Scottish golf resort," according to the HERALD SCOTLAND. Trump said that the five star Co Clare destination -- with an existing 18-hole championship golf links -- "will be transformed into an unparalleled resort with the highest standards of luxury." The Irish course "will be renamed Trump International Golf Links, Ireland." Trump said that "he was switching his focus to Ireland after a Scottish judge rejected his legal action against a wind energy project off the Aberdeenshire coast, which he claimed would spoil the view from his luxury golf course there" (HERALD SCOTLAND, 2/11). The BBC reported Trump claims the £230M ($380M) European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre "would spoil the view from his golf course at Menie." His bid to overturn approval for the project "was dismissed by Lord Doherty." Doherty said that "he was not persuaded that it could be fairly concluded there was a real possibility of any bias in the decision-making process, or that the decision not to hold an inquiry had been unreasonable or unlawful." Trump said that "he will appeal" (BBC, 2/11). In London, Severin Carrell wrote Trump alleged that Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond "had secretly interfered in the decision" to approve the 11-turbine European offshore wind deployment center site in Aberdeen Bay -- a claim rejected on Tuesday by Doherty. Trump alleged that "there had been clear and illegal bias by the Scottish government" -- and that his rights under the European convention of human rights had been breached. In a ruling with far wider significance for the future of Scottish wind power, "the judge also disputed a previous court ruling that no wind farm could be approved until or unless it has an electricity generation licence" (GUARDIAN, 2/11).
