BBC podcast tells story of Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf resort plan

The story of Donald Trump’s contested plan to create a world-class golf resort in a coastal area of Aberdeenshire is told in a new BBC podcast.

Trumped is presented by journalist Anthony Baxter, who has made a trilogy of films tracking this story. Now, the BBC Sounds series will feature new and archive interviews with many of the key players in the story.

The documentary maker, who has been investigating the story for 15 years, says he is still trying to make sense of ‘how what happened, happened.’

He said: “It’s a tale of secret deals, vested interest, and political ambition – and it’s a story of people who find themselves in an unimaginable situation, but who stand up for what they believe in against remarkable odds.”

The story begins when residents on the Menie Estate were first approached about the prospect of selling up to make way for a golf course.

When Donald Trump announced his plans, he said: “I’m going to build the greatest golf course anywhere in the world, there will be nothing like it. It is going to be done environmentally perfect.”

Among the contributors to the series will be residents, politicians and journalists who have followed or been involved in the saga during its many twists and turns.

Donald Trump unveiled his Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire in 2012 after facing several objections.

By then, he had clashed with residents, environmentalists, wind farm manufacturers and the Scottish First Minister, having bought the land on the Menie Estate seven years previously.

Trump International is still planning to build hundreds of homes near the golf course as part of its long-term plans.

Co-produced by BBC Scotland News and the Big Light independent production company, new episodes will be available on BBC Sounds from this Friday, 16 February.