Aberdeenshire council’s Formartine Area Committee gave the £1bn plans for the Menie Estate their backing at a special meeting last night.
Trump will now be allowed to proceed with plans for two 18-hole golf courses, a 450-room hotel, 36 “golf villas”, 950 holiday homes and associated facilities for golfers and staff.
The plans also include a new road link called Trump Boulevard.
Following the decision, Trump said: “We’ll be creating jobs, we’ll be creating tourism and I think everybody knows how important that is for the area.
“I think that the people that I have there are very, very capable and very cognisant of the issues but I’ll be there a lot.”
The council received 985 letters opposing the plans but 1850 letters in favour.
Objectors include the RSPB and Scottish Wildlife Trust, while the local Chamber of Commerce is in favour.
Objectors have promised to pursue a public inquiry into the resort, which they claim is environmentally destructive.
The plans will be re-examined by Aberdeenshire council’s infrastructure committee next week and may also be called in by the Scottish Government.
