US property magnate Donald Trump’s £1b golf resort in Aberdeenshire has been rejected by councillors who slammed it as “moral blackmail”.

The project was approved by the authority's area committee last week but the council's infrastructure committee overruled the decision last night.

The planning application on behalf of Trump International Golf Links Scotland proposed two golf courses, a five-star hotel, a golf academy and 950 holiday homes.

But the plans proved highly controversial and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Friends of the Earth (FOE) voiced concerned about the potential harm to indigenous birds and the environmental impact of building homes on the coastline of the scheme.

Councillor Debra Storr described Trump’s course as "a very strange development" which went against "the ethos" of north-east Scotland.

A spokeswoman for Trump told BBC Scotland: "We are surprised by the decision, it would have been a great development.

"We are considering an appeal, and also considering doing something very spectacular in another location. Sadly, it will not be in Scotland."

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Property magnate Donald Trump to build world-class golf resort in Scotland >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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