Donald Trump has secured another victory – over a large flagpole at his golf course near Aberdeen.
The 81ft (24.9 metre) structure was put up without planning permission at the president-elect’s Trump International Golf Club at the Menie estate in Balmedie.
When the relevant approvals were sought retrospectively, a committee at Aberdeenshire Council refused in April to grant full permission for the flagpole “on the grounds of the visual impact … due to its scale”.
But Mr Trump, who was last week elected as the next President of the US, has now been allowed to keep the structure at his course following an appeal to Scottish ministers.
The flagpole, used to fly a saltire, is situated near the clubhouse and was found to be higher than the top of the roof boxes of the building.
Claire Milne, a reporter appointed by the Scottish Government, assessed the visual impact of the structure from various viewpoints and concluded she did “not find it obtrusive or out of proportion to the scale of the existing buildings or its immediate surroundings”.
A spokeswoman for Trump International Golf Links in Scotland said: “We are pleased that our appeal to fly our national flag was successful and that common sense has prevailed.
“The local planning committee’s decision to prevent us from flying the saltire by our championship golf course was very disappointing – it is frustrating that valuable time and resources are spent defending such things.”
An Aberdeenshire Council spokeswoman said: “We note the decision, which will be brought before the Formartine area committee in due course for information.”
