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Wind turbine shock for furious golfers
Credit: Posted by Niamh Anderson, www.deadlinenews.co.uk 20 April 2012 ~~
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Bosses at one of Scotland’s oldest golf courses are furious after a huge wind turbine was erected just yards away from their historic greens.
Members of the prestigious Royal Aberdeen Golf Club were stunned when the 218ft turbine appeared beside the 14th tee.
Angry members at the £170-per-round course claim they were not consulted about the project and fear it could jeopardize the club’s status as one of the top 100 in the world.
Engineering firm Rubberatkins built the turbine to power their headquarters at Aberdeen Science and Energy Park.
The company was granted planning permission last year and it was completed on Monday.
But director of the course – the sixth oldest in the world- Ronnie MacAskill said he only discovered that the turbine would go ahead after planning permission was granted.
Mr MacAskill said: “The turbine towers above the 14th tee, causing considerable disturbances to golfers when teeing off on one of the strongest holes on this ancient, classic, natural links.
“Easter brought out the first visitors of 2012. Their comments were – a great golf course in magnificent condition, but how did that turbine get there?
“It is naïve to think that the unsympathetic placement of wind turbines, onshore and offshore, will not impact considerably on organisations such as Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, which was quietly contributed much to the local community since 1780.”
Golf chiefs at the club are backing up Donald Trump in his fight against plans for an offshore windfarm in Aberdeen Bay.
Mr Trump told local press that he was horrified by the turbine development.
“Royal Aberdeen is a wonderful course – one of the jewels of world golf- and it has been destroyed overnight. I don’t know what is going on in Scotland. The whole course is destroyed now. It’s finished.
“If this happened next to my course, I’d sue Scotland in a second. I can’t believe what is going on.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “The application was considered by elected members in an open and transparent way, taking account of appropriate material planning considerations.”
Rubberatkins managing director Nick Atkins said an energy park is an ideal location for a wind turbine.
He added that he believed many members of the club were aware of the planning application for the wind energy development.
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