Donald Trump is powering on with his plans to build a £1 billion golf resort in an environmentally sensitive area of Aberdeenshire, winning the backing of business leaders in the north east. The controversial bid to create two championship golf courses on the Menie Estate, an area hand picked by the US property tycoon, has been met by a wave of protest from environmental groups. However a regional committee of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) is now behind the scheme. Committee chairman Duncan Skinner is urging Aberdeenshire Council to give Trump the green light, stating: "The reputation of Trump golf projects around the world is such that the location of such a facility in the north east will send out a strong message globally about this region, what we stand for and what we can offer as a destination."