U.S. property tycoon Donald Trump lost a bid Friday to force a judicial review of the construction of the 100MW Aberdeen Bay wind farm, after accusing Scottish ministers of bias.
Scotland's highest judge, Lord Brian Gill, ruled Trump failed to provide any evidence that came “anywhere near” supporting his claim that the government's March 2013 decision to approve the construction of the wind farm was illegal.
Central to Trump's case were claims that a public inquiry should have been held prior to the approval being handed down, and allegations the entire process was mired in bias.
Friday's decision upheld a previous lower court ruling that the approval process had followed due process.
A Trump spokesperson responded to the ruling by stating, “It's impossible to have a fair hearing challenging wind farm applications in Scotland.”
However, environmentalists have praised the decision.
“Once again the courts have seen through Trump’s flimsy, misguided attempts to frustrate Scotland’s ambition to create clean power and green jobs,” said Lang Banks, the director of WWF Scotland, according to The Guardian newspaper.
“It’s now time for Mr. Trump to stop wasting any more time and money on this case,” Banks said.
Trump has been battling against the wind farm project for over three years. He has claimed the offshore turbines spoil the sea view of his golf course in Aberdeenshire. The course itself has been riddled with controversies since Trump purchased the land in 2005. The 2011 documentary “You've Been Trumped” highlighted allegations that the course posed a threat to the local environment, and that Trump treated his new neighbors poorly.
Yet Friday's defeat may not be the end of this long running saga. A Trump spokesperson has hinted they wont be giving up their battle against the wind farm anytime soon.
“We have already instructed our legal team to commence an appeal before both the supreme court of the U.K. and the European courts,” they said.