By 2008, Michael Forbes had refused £450,000 for his 23-acre home: Trump’s £1bn Scottish golf resort was moving ahead around him

Michael Forbes had already turned down Donald Trump’s offer of up to £450,000 for his 23-acre property at Mill of Menie when Scottish ministers approved Trump’s proposed golf resort in November 2008. The small farm near Balmedie, north of Aberdeen, sat inside the much larger Menie Estate that Trump wanted to turn into a golf and residential development. Forbes and his wife, Sheila, refused to move, leaving their property surrounded by a project that Scottish ministers had now given permission to proceed. The episode had started as a property dispute, and by late 2008, it had become one of the most closely watched local conflicts surrounding the American developer’s Scottish plans. The Guardian reported on November 3, 2008, that the proposed £1bn coastal resort would cover about 2,000 acres and include two 18-hole championship courses, a hotel, timeshare apartments, homes, villas and other facilities. Forbes’ 23-acre holding remained inside the development area.Forbes was sitting on land Trump wantedTrump had acquired much of the Menie Estate in 2006 and soon announced plans for a major golf development along the Aberdeenshire coast. Forbes’ family had longstanding connections to the property, and he had lived there for decades. He worked as a fisherman and quarry worker and maintained the farm with his wife. Trump’s representatives approached Forbes about selling, and the offers increased over time. By 2007, the figure had reached £450,000, according to contemporary reporting, with the possibility of a job also discussed.Forbes still refused, and the dispute became more personal in October 2007 after Trump publicly attacked the condition of Forbes’ property. Trump described the land as a “disgrace” and “disgusting”, while Forbes made clear that he had no intention of leaving. At that stage, however, Trump’s wider development was not guaranteed. In November 2007, Aberdeenshire councillors rejected the resort proposal after a close vote, and the planned development had faced opposition from environmental groups and some local residents because parts of the site were considered environmentally sensitive. The Scottish Parliament later examined the planning process, and its official record shows that representatives of the Trump Organization appeared before the Local Government and Communities Committee in February 2008 as the dispute over the Menie development continued.The planning battle moved beyond the local councilThe Scottish Government became involved, and the project went through a public inquiry during 2008, and Forbes’ property remained one of the central complications. Trump wanted to build a large resort around land he did not control, while Forbes continued to reject the offers. The 2008 plans called for two championship golf courses, a 450-room hotel, hundreds of holiday apartments, 500 homes and 36 villas. The development also included a golf academy and facilities for workers.Supporters argued that the resort would bring investment and tourism to the region. Opponents raised concerns about the coastal dunes and the environmental effect of construction. The Scottish Government ultimately sided with the development. On November 3, 2008, Scottish ministers confirmed outline planning permission. The decision included conditions covering environmental protection, public access and other aspects of the project.The Guardian reported that Trump’s offers for the property had reached £450,000 and that Forbes and his wife were still refusing to move. Their farm buildings, tractors and home would remain amid the much larger development.Construction could continue without buying Forbes outTrump no longer needed to win another local planning vote before proceeding with the resort, although detailed planning work and environmental conditions still had to be addressed. The development was not designed around Forbes’ property; instead, the resort would rise around it. That created a weird arrangement: a large commercial golf project could proceed while a small private holding remained inside its boundaries. By December 2008, Trump’s team had begun working on the detailed design of the resort. The Guardian reported that plans included a 500-home housing estate, 36 luxury villas, a 450-bed hotel and high-rise timeshare accommodation. The newspaper also reported that construction might not begin until 2010.Trump’s organization also considered whether compulsory purchase powers could eventually be used against some remaining properties, although Forbes’ refusal did not prevent the golf course itself from going ahead. The first Trump International Golf Links course at Menie eventually opened in 2012, several years after the planning approval that had allowed the project to move forward.The resort expanded while Forbes remainedSome of the large residential elements proposed in 2008 did not materialize as originally described, while the golf operation became the central part of the Menie development. The Scottish Government's records show that the Menie Estate became a five-star golf resort, and the Trump Organization later developed a second course on the property. In July 2025, the Scottish Government said Donald Trump was in Aberdeenshire for the official opening of that second course at Trump International.That later development is separate from the 2008 planning battle, but it shows how the site changed after the original approval. Forbes’ refusal therefore did not stop the resort. Nor did Trump’s plans remove the small property that had become the most visible obstacle to his original vision. It initially began with offers for a 23-acre farm, and became a long-running dispute over land, development and the limits of a major private project. The golf resort eventually opened and expanded, while the property at the centre of the 2008 standoff remained part of the story of Menie.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.