New Housing at Trump Turnberry? & Ambassador Asked to Secure The Open! post 16!

[Jeff Schley]

https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/revealed-trump-plans-build-new-world-class-coastal-retreat-scotland-2910997
Interesting idea as the Trump organization is now concerned with "permanent tranquility and respite" of the retired Scots. Seems a marketing idea of charging the same $$$$ by taking the description of "private high-end residential homes" and simply adding "for retirement living" to it. No plans have been approved as of yet.

[Lou_Duran]

Call it "retirement living" or whatever you want, but fleeing to safety is a natural reaction to the madness facing many parts of the world.  For example, an acquaintance has been looking for a lake home in north Texas thinking that the economic crash of the last four months might be prompting owners of second homes to scale back.  Texas has among the highest number of miles of fresh water frontage in the US, and over the last few weeks he has learned that the opposite is true.  Demand is very strong, and prices are high and climbing.  Apparently, there is a lot of concern with the political instability in the big cities and people are actively voting with their feet.  This is true also of small communities 30 and 40 miles from the CBD where homes go on sale and within 48 hours receive several offers, often above the asking price.  I suspect that the same may be happening in other parts of the world. 

[Adam Lawrence]

He'll have to get planning permission first. Could be challenging.

[Thomas Dai]

Retirement home for himself?
Atb

[Adam Lawrence]

Retirement home for himself?
Atb

Maybe. I was thinking of Leavenworth...

[V. Kmetz]

Perhaps something closer to this:


https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bn53b3/atlas-mugged-922-v21n10

[Pete_Pittock]

Long way from a city on a two lane road. I guess they could always helicopter. Not helpful for the help.

[Ben Stephens]

He'll have to get planning permission first. Could be challenging.

Very challenging I would say possibly unlikely depending on other factors outside the planning remit

[Adam Lawrence]

He'll have to get planning permission first. Could be challenging.

Very challenging I would say possibly unlikely depending on other factors outside the planning remit

Let’s just say that I don’t think he can rely on the First Minister to push it through for him as happened with Balmedie

[John Emerson]

Retirement home for himself?
Atb

Maybe. I was thinking of Leavenworth...

This would make my year!  Covid-19 would seem like it a blip on the radar. 

[Ben Stephens]

He'll have to get planning permission first. Could be challenging.

Very challenging I would say possibly unlikely depending on other factors outside the planning remit

Let’s just say that I don’t think he can rely on the First Minister to push it through for him as happened with Balmedie

Well who knows the First Minister may be swayed by POTUS 

[Niall C]

Similar to Balmedie where they originally put in for holiday homes which have restrictions and therefore an impact on value, it's about establishing some sort of consent and then applying/appealing for more mainstream housing or perhaps just a means of avoiding s.75 payments. From when this broke a couple of months ago I seem to recall the story was that there was no zoning and little by way to justify what they want to do (in planning terms).


Don't expect anything built soon this is a long term play in trying to considerably improve the value of what is currently agricultural land.


Niall

[Jon Wiggett]

With great local services within walking distance and great public transport coupled with the proximity of a major urban area this should be a shoe-in. Just build a Waitrose at the side of the hotel and 'Bob's your uncle' 

[Adrian_Stiff]

Whilst Scotland is different from England, the general rule would be the same that for a retirement village the proximity of 'services, shops, hospitals, doctors' would be an important factor. Often it would rule out Open Countryside.


A timeshare village would at least bring in a continued supply of funds to the local area and you could build a better case IMO for a development which would benefit others without the Trump surname.


Whoever is advising Trump maybe are the same that are helping out our government at the moment.

[Thomas Dai]

How about the re-opening of the old railway line?
I believe one of the engines in the wonderful ‘Thomas the Tank Engine‘ series is called ‘Donald’ and of course there is also ‘The Fat Controller’!
Toot, toot
Atb

[John Crowley]

https://www.scotsman.com/news/uk-news/revealed-trump-plans-build-new-world-class-coastal-retreat-scotland-2910997
Interesting idea as the Trump organization is now concerned with "permanent tranquility and respite" of the retired Scots. Seems a marketing idea of charging the same $$$$ by taking the description of "private high-end residential homes" and simply adding "for retirement living" to it. No plans have been approved as of yet.

Predictable smoke, mirrors and hyperbole.

[Jeff Schley]

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/president-donald-trump-asked-ambassador-to-inquire-about-turnberry-hosting-british-open-championship


Wow, what better way to pump up the prices for your retirement village than getting The Open back?  Just ask the ambassador to make it happen!





The Royal & Ancient Golf Club is the purveyor of the Open Championship and has chosen the major golf tournament’s venues for more than 150 years.

Nevertheless, President Donald Trump asked the American ambassador to Britain, Robert Wood Johnson IV, to inquire with the British government about returning the Open Championship to his resort in Scotland, Trump Turnberry, according to a report in the New York Times.

Citing three people with knowledge of the circumstances, the Times reported that Johnson, who owns the NFL’s New York Jets, told multiple colleagues in February 2018 about Trump’s request. The sources said that Johnson’s deputy, Lewis A. Lukens, urged the ambassador not to follow through because the action could be an unethical use of the president’s position for private gain. But, the Times’ sources said, Johnson did eventually bring up the idea of Turnberry hosting the Open Championship with Scotland’s secretary of state, David Mundell.

The Times reported that when it contacted Mundell last week about the matter, he said it would be “inappropriate” to comment, and he cited a British government statement that said Johnson “made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event,” though the statement did not confirm or deny that the subject was broached.

The Times said the White House declined to comment on Trump’s instructions to Johnson, as did the ambassador and the State Department.

Originally opened in 1901, Turnberry is a young host course by Open Championship standards, joining the tournament’s pool of 10 sites in 1977. The Open has been held there on four occasions, the last in 2009, when then-59-year-old Tom Watson stirred emotions and nearly claimed a sixth claret jug before falling to Stewart Cink in a playoff.

Since then, the R&A has not yet announced another Open Championship for Turnberry. Trump purchased the property in 2014, two years before being elected U.S. president, and there has been speculation that the facility’s chances to host future Opens have been damaged because of Trump’s involvement there.

At the time of Trump’s election in 2016, the R&A had chosen its sites through 2019. Since then, four more venues were identified—Royal St. George’s in England for 2020, the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland for 2021, Royal Liverpool in England for 2023 and Royal Troon in Scotland for 2024. However, when the coronavirus forced the cancellation of this year's Open, the R&A announced that St. George’s would host in 2021 and St. Andrews in 2022, but did not specify what would happen with Liverpool or Troon.

In a meeting with British reporters in early 2018, the R&A’s chief executive, Martin Slumbers, insisted that Turnberry remained in consideration for future Opens held in Scotland, though he noted, “It would be complex having an Open at Turnberry at the moment. You’ve got the ownership issue of the course and the staging there.”

In possibly seeking to have an ambassador lobby the British government to stage a golf tournament at his property, the president is exempt from federal conflict of interest laws regarding government matters and personal financial interest, the Times reported. However, experts on government ethics told the Times that one potential violation of the emoluments clause was that the British or Scottish governments would most likely have to pay for security at the tournament, an event that would be profitable to Trump.

The Trump family owns 16 golf courses, seven of which are outside America. The holdings include Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., which in 2014 was chosen by the PGA of America to host the 2022 PGA Championship,

After Trump purchased Turnberry, he made $150 million in investments and improvements there, including a complete renovation of the Alisa Course, which reopened to mostly positive reviews in 2016. But the resort has continued to bleed cash, with the most recent annual report in 2018 showing a loss of nearly $1 million on $19 million in sales.

[Niall C]

Strictly speaking the R&A haven't been hosting the Open for more than 150 years but that quibble aside, what made me wonder was what Trump thought the Secretary of State for Scotland could do ? Setting aside that it is a private event, David Mundell is a Tory and the Scottish Government are SNP. Any Government assistance would come from the Scottish Government I'd have thought and Trump has already burned bridges with the SNP. Very strange but then he is a very strange man.


Niall

[Tom_Doak]

Strictly speaking the R&A haven't been hosting the Open for more than 150 years but that quibble aside

Strictly speaking, who does host it?

[Bernie Bell]

"According to a report in the New York Times" doesn't mean nearly what it used to mean, especially when the report concerns Bad Orange Man.  Take with several grains of salt.  Not saying I'd be surprised if it were true, but that doesn't make it true.

[Adam G]

Tom I think Niall is saying that the R&A hosts it now but originally didn't (Prestwick did) and thus has not done so for 150 years.

[Niall C]

Strictly speaking the R&A haven't been hosting the Open for more than 150 years but that quibble aside

Strictly speaking, who does host it?

Tom


I was just being my usual pedantic self and referring to the timescale rather than it being the R&A although I suppose you could make an argument the host club or whatever is the actual host even though it is an R&A run event. Or is it an R&A subsiduary, I can't recall.


Niall

[Craig Sweet]

18-24 months from now, when Trump is a private citizen, and prosecutors are breathing down his neck, he'll be selling off his golf properties simply to stay afloat financially.

[Adrian_Stiff]

The inclusion of Troon for 2023 will mean it won't go to Turnberry for at least seven more years beyond that, probably more.

[Jon Wiggett]

Strictly speaking the R&A haven't been hosting the Open for more than 150 years but that quibble aside, what made me wonder was what Trump thought the Secretary of State for Scotland could do ? Setting aside that it is a private event, David Mundell is a Tory and the Scottish Government are SNP. Any Government assistance would come from the Scottish Government I'd have thought and Trump has already burned bridges with the SNP. Very strange but then he is a very strange man.


Niall

David Mundell is a Tory but that is not the only reason he might not be the best person to talk to. The Secretary for State for Scotland is Alister Jack. Maybe when Alex is back at the helm 'the Don' might be back in favour.


Jon