Supporting Sustainable Aberdeenshire - No to Trump

Menie Not Money

Business - Lets look at some of the claims - do they add up?

There have been a number of claims that the Trump Development would be "the biggest thing to come to Aberdeen since North Sea oil" and the development has grown in the telling over the last year from 500 million dollars, to a Billion dollars, and is now reported as a Billion pounds.

The public will not get access to these figures - yet the whole basis of Trump riding roughshod over policies and guidance is based on an argument of overwhelming economic benefit to the area.

The only information on the financial aspect of the development is found in comments from Aberdeenshire Council Transportation and Infrastructure, which comments on the Economic Impact Assessment, particularly regarding a) the impact on the local community and b) the need for residential housing sales to be included in the project in order to make it viable.

An Economic Impact Assessment has been produced by Deloitte based on financial data provided by Trump International. How reliable is that information?

According to the letter from Aberdeenshire Council Transportation and Infrastructure, the Economic Impact Assessment is based on a huge number of construction jobs (nearly 7000 jobs!) and 1250 long-term jobs in Aberdeenshire. The annual GVA to Aberdeenshire would be £47 million. How realistic are these figures? One figure that we can all relate to is the cost of the residential houses which will "sell at an average price of £700,000". Does that sound convincing? Are 500 families with that kind of money going to move to the north of Aberdeen?

And what of the quality of the jobs? Aberdeen has through its involvement in the Oil and Gas Industry attracted and grown high technology industries which require an educated and skilled workforce based in the area. Are we really desperate for low grade service jobs?