DONALD Trump's claims that Sean Connery helped him get permission for a “big development” in Scotland have been branded "silly" by Alex Salmond and rubbished by a planning committee chair.

Taking time off from his re-election campaign, the president said the James Bond actor – who died on Saturday at the age of 90 – had stepped in and helped him avoid “years of future turmoil”. The claim was dismissed as “silly” by former First Minister Alex Salmond.

Taking to Twitter, Trump hailed Connery as a “great actor and an even greater man”.

He tweeted: “The legendary actor, 007 Sean Connery, has past [sic] on to even greener fairways. He was quite a guy, and a tough character.

“I was having a very hard time getting approvals for a big development in Scotland when Sean stepped in and shouted, ‘let him build the damn thing’. That was all I needed, everything went swimmingly from there. He was so highly regarded and respected in Scotland and beyond that years of future turmoil was avoided. Sean was a great actor and an even greater man. Sincere condolences to his family!”

It’s likely Trump is referring to his course in Aberdeenshire. Back in 2007, the plans to build a luxury golf resort on the Menie Estate near Balmedie were thrown into disarray when the local council refused to grant him planning permission.

The Scottish Government then “called in” the planning decision, and in November 2008 ministers approved the development, as they said it would have “significant economic and social benefit”.

He fell out with Salmond and the Scottish Government when ministers refused to block a planned offshore wind farm off the coast. Trump eventually sued the Scottish Government but lost. Salmond told The National: “Scotland and much of the world is mourning the loss of a great spirit.

“Sean Connery’s contribution and life’s work was immense, real and lasting and everyone with an ounce of class is reflecting upon just that today. Tributes are great from all sources but this not a time for tweeting silly claims or indeed responding to them.”

Martin Ford, the Aberdeenshire councillor who was chair of the planning committee that initially refused Trump’s application, later told the Guardian that anything Connery may have said was not a “material consideration”.

Ford said: “Mr Connery was not involved in the due process that led to the granting of planning permission for a golf resort at Menie. He did not submit a letter of representation to the council, appear at the planning hearing, or at the public local inquiry. Opinions offered in press articles are not material considerations in decisions on planning applications.”

But Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “If there is any possibility of truth to this claim then John Swinney, who was central to the decision to overturn the Scottish planning system to help Trump, needs to clarify the situation immediately.”

The Scottish Government said it wasn’t clear what Trump was tweeting about.

Meanwhile, Trump is mounting one final test of whether his usual massive crowds will translate into votes, as he finishes his re-election campaign with rallies in the battleground states that could decide the race.

He will hold seven more rallies on the final full day of the campaign before voters go to the polls. His opponent Joe Biden spent the final Sunday before the election rallying voters in the all-important swing state of Pennsylvania.