The plans have drawn comparisons with New Lanark, the former 18th-century cotton spinning mill village created by industrialist Robert Owen, who was lauded for his educational and workplace reforms.

Landowner Edward Abel Smith has pledged to build dozens of homes if Coul Links golf course is approved for development by government planners.

The owner of Coul Farm is thought to be the first private landowner to also offer to build new crofts in East Sutherland, an area in the grip of depopulation.

Jim McGillivray, councillor for Sutherland East, said Mr Abel Smith served as an example to other, major landowners, "who sit on their land".

He said: "The vision the applicants and I have discussed is that of Robert Owen at New Lanark in the 18th century – the company providing secure housing and secure jobs for employees in a walk-to-work setting, with the community having an equity share in the operation."

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A final decision on plans to build a "world class" golf course at Coul Links, near Dornoch, now rests with ministers in Holyrood after they were called in by the Scottish Government.

Environmental concerns have been raised by Nature Scot and a Conservation Coalition, led by the RSPB.

The area forms part of the Loch Fleet Special Protection Area.

The Herald: The decision rests with the Scottish GovernmentThe decision rests with the Scottish Government (Image: Getty)

The application by community group Communities for Coul (C4C) was approved by  Highland Council in December after 750 objections were lodged.

C4C estimate that the development could create up to 400 new jobs, mainly in the hospitality sector and attract £50 million of investment and say it has the backing of a majority of residents. 

The group say the developers and site owners will provide the expertise, manpower and investment needed (estimated at more than £500,000 in the first 5 years) to support the full restoration and sustainable protection of the site.

Highland MSP Kate Forbes, now Deputy First Minister, is among the high-profile politicians who have backed the plan.

"For me, it's a real benchmark of how planning can be done really well," said Mr Abel Smith.

"You have a community group who have a vision built from scratch. As someone sitting on the sidelines that's a pretty amazing story.

"[New Lanark} was about creating a community, which is obviously not what we are doing here, but it's that kind of idea of working in partnership with the community and bringing employment to an area and enabling people to live and thrive there is a big part of it.

"C4C has been very direct with me to say, it's one thing to create jobs but it's about creating jobs that can be filled locally.

"We've got the jobs charter to ensure that the case and also ensuring there is adequate housing.

The Herald: Edward Abel Smith has pledged to build homes to house employees if a controversial golf course near Dornoch in Sutherland approved Edward Abel Smith has pledged to build homes to house employees if a controversial golf course near Dornoch in Sutherland approved (Image: Edward Abel Smith)

"We are looking at potentially 30 houses half of which would be affordable, it's not going to go all the way for housing all of the workers but it's a good starting point," he added.

Asked how "affordable" the homes would be he said: "I'm not going to try to go into the detail of how that would work but we are working with various trusts in Scotland. to ensure they are accessible for workers."

Half of the 30 new homes will be sold with covenants to ensure "they are not turned into holiday lets".

He said his plans opened up the opportunity to diversity his land at Coul Farm.

"At the moment we are a loss-making farm and most of what we do is sheep lets for grazing," he said.

"With an alternative income stream from the golf course, it opens up the opportunity to do more with the farmland."

He has also pledged to build an eco-hotel if the development gets the go-ahead.

The Scottish Government's Planning and Environment Appeals Division (DPEA) will gather evidence for and against the golf course plan at Coul Links during a series of hearings scheduled to begin on November 11

There is expected to be three days of evidence on the ecological impacts of the development. According to the Not Coul group, coastal erosion is already happening and affects the golf course plan.

C4C say there is now an “urgency” to approve the project is now given the housing “emergency ” declared by the Scottish Government and new Census figures showing depopulation in the Highlands is accelerating.

Data shows almost half of the council wards in the Scottish Highlands have experienced a decline in their populations over the past ten years, while secondary schools are forecast to lose almost a quarter of pupils in the next 15 years.

North West and Central Sutherland saw numbers decrease by 5.6% from 2011 to 2022.

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The landowner said the golf development could be a "shot in the arm" for helping reverse the trend.

"We are not just talking about an investment of £50 million, we are talking about all the jobs that come with it and the further investment it attracts," he said.

"If you look at some of the schemes I've been discussing with Communities for Coul - - the hotel, the housing, now there is the crofts. It certainly wouldn't solve all of the problems but it would go some way to doing that.

"I often say if you went 150 years ago when there was discussions about Royal Dornoch being built as the golf course we know today, how different the area would be if it had not gone ahead.

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"The idea of having another golf course of a similar standing to Royal Dornoch  - I don't think that should be under-estimated given the effect the golf course down the road has had.

"The potential that would come with a golf course at Coul Links, I think we are just scratching the surface of it at the moment with the hotel and the crofts and housing.

"My message to the Scottish Government would be don't underestimate the potential this would bring."