You're fenced! Donald Trump puts up barrier and trees around Scottish neighbour's home... and then sends him the bill
Last updated at 1:09 PM on 6th June 2011
As neighbourly disputes go, it is certainly one of David and Goliath proportions.
David Milne, 46, from Scotland, whose house is next to Donald Trump's proposed golf course, was shocked when the American tycoon put up a fence around the property - and then billed him for it.
Mr Milne and 'The Donald' have been at loggerheads for years after the landowner refused to sell his house to Trump in order to expand his lavish course.
Fenced in: David Milne, whose house sits next to Donald Trump's proposed Scottish golf course, was stunned when the American tycoon put up a fence around his property
Trump's contractors erected the fence and planted dozens of trees around Mr Milne's house before sending an invoice for £2820 ($4,600) - half the total amount of the cost.
'There is no way I'm going to pay it,' Mr Milne told the Scottish Daily Record.
'As far as I'm concerned it's just another attempt to intimidate and bully me. But it's not going to work. I'm not paying any attention to it at all.'
Not budging: Mr Milne, left, was even more shocked to receive an invoice and letter, right, asking him to pay for half the cost of the fence and a series of trees that Trump had installed
Trump is currently building what he has dubbed the 'best golf course in the world'.
The entire development spans some 500 hectares (1,235 acres) of land on the north-east coast of Aberdeenshire.
Trump has planning permission to build two championship courses, a lavish hotel, clubhouse and 950 houses on the Menie Estate.
Home: The neighbours have been at loggerheads for years after Trump offered to buy Mr Milne out for 15 per cent more than the going rate for his home
But the American has also applied for planning permission for adjoining land, on which Mr Milne's home at Hermit Point stands.
Trump has branded it 'ugly' in the past but health and safety adviser Mr Milne has lived there for nearly 20 years with his wife Moira and has no plans to move.
in 2009 Trump tried to buy Mr Milne and three other homeowners out by offering 15 per cent more than the asking price for their houses.
Playing the Scot: Donald Trump, seen here promoting his development on the Menie estate, near Aberdeen, has gone after planning permission to acquire four homes that sit on land he wants for his course
Plan: An artist's impression of the proposed 500-hectare (1,235-acre) site that will incorporate two championship courses, a lavish hotel, clubhouse and 950 house
Neighbours: Just a few fields separate Trump's proposed golf complex and Mr Milne's property near Aberdeen, Scotland
But Mr Milne said the offer was 'somewhere between laughable and insulting' at the time.
Now it seems The Donald has changed tact by trying to block Mr Milne out altogether.
'I could not believe it when the bill arrived,' he said. 'I priced the materials and I could put up the whole fence on my own for about £800.
'It's made from the cheapest stuff available but that's the kind of standard we've come to expect from Mr Trump and his organisation.'
The resort is due to open next summer but Mr Milne believes it is behind schedule.
'I think they've underestimated the Scottish weather,' he told the Record.
Calls to the Trump organisation were not immediately returned.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394484/Donald-Trump-puts-barrier-trees-Scottish-neighbours-home.html#ixzz1OV2gCieN
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