Aberdeenshire Council's Kincardine and Mearns area committee backed on Tuesday an outline application by Churchill Homes for eight houses at Altries Wood, Maryculter.
Council planners had approved the scheme because the majority of the site has already been earmarked for housing in the local plan.
Concerns had been raised by the council's natural heritage planner about the loss of listed trees.
Lower Deeside councillor Sandy Wallace said he supported the development, despite the site only being earmarked for six houses within the local plan.
Councillors also supported an application for the development of two holiday houses at Easter Ardoe, Maryculter.
The proposals were recommended for refusal by council officials because of their location on green-belt land.
The scheme, which lies within the green belt to the south of the B9077 South Deeside Road, attracted 22 letters of representation - 10 in favour and 12 against the proposal.
Local people raised concerns about road safety, noise and the precedent it might set for similar developments on green-belt land.
An agent for the applicant said the holiday homes should be regarded as a diversification of agricultural land.
Lower Deeside councillor Sandy Wallace said concerns had been raised about any future refurbishment of the holiday accommodation into houses, but he felt confident this could not be achieved.
The plans were backed by councillors by five votes to three.
They will now be advertised as a departure from local planning policy before they can be fully approved.