"The government showed some real courage when they called in our application," says a relieved Hobday. "In their view, it is of national importance, something whose failure would be catastrophic in economic terms. It would have sent out an appalling signal to the investment world."
And so things stood until Feb. 28 when Swinney announced plans for the resort will go before a full public inquiry -- scheduled for June -- before he makes a decision based on its findings. "Given the nature of the application and the considerable public interest, it is important that the process to examine the issues is as efficient, transparent and inclusive as possible," he said.
Once the inquiry is complete, a report and recommendations will be sent to the Finance Secretary for review before a final decision, which he has promised within 28 days, is made. If approval is granted -- and there is every chance that it will be, given the level of implicit support the government already has revealed -- Hobday says work on the new courses will start "the next day," with the aim of opening for play in late 2010. No word yet on the Open, though.
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