FORMER US president Donald Trump has been warned he may have to tear down a fence near his luxury five-star resort in Ireland – or face a fine or even prison.
Clare County Council issued a letter to the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg over what they said was unauthorised fencing on sand dunes.
It’s the latest setback for the Trump family at Doonbeg after An Bord Pleanala in 2020 rejected his attempt to build a wall to combat rising sea levels.
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Planners said the proposed 38,000-tonne rock barrier at Doughmore Bay could damage dunes that straddle the golf course on the Atlantic coast.
In September 2022 the council wrote to Trump’s hotel group – TIGL Enterprises Limited – about the fencing after receiving a complaint from a member of the public.
The complainant said they were told by workers that the fence was to protect the dunes from people walking and children playing.
But they warned that the wooden structure would not allow the sand dune to renew itself and would “actually kill the dunes”.
The complainant said this was the exact reason a controversial proposal for a wall at the site had been refused by An Bord Pleanala in 2020.
They wrote: “We have fought hard to protect Doughmore habitat and this is so upsetting.
“They are not protecting the dunes, they are destroying them. I get it [the Trump Hotel] provides jobs in the area but [it is] not meant to be at the cost of a protected site.”
The council wrote to TIGL warning that if it found unauthorised development an enforcement notice would follow with the possibility of fines or imprisonment. The National Parks and Wildlife Service also logged a formal complaint with the council about the fencing.
Trump International in Doonbeg was contacted for comment about the fencing but failed to respond.
A spokesman for Clare County Council said: “As this is a live planning enforcement case, we will not be commenting on same.”
On Friday, Trump launched a scathing attack on his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The former president is to “make an announcement” at his Florida resort on Tuesday.
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