Cloughjordan, a small village in north Tipperary, is to become the site of Ireland's first ecologically friendly village.
The development of the eco-village will involve the construction of up to 100 houses powered by solar energy, an organic farm and an enterprise centre. Sustainable Projects Ireland Ltd (SPIL), the company behind the development, is a non-profit co-operative. It met Cloughjordan locals this week and circulated a newsletter setting out its plans.
The project will see 70 acres close to the centre of Cloughjordan being split into three zones of equal size for residential, agricultural and natural spaces.
The company has the option to purchase the land, along with the Lime Tree public house, to create the State's first eco-village at a cost of about €5 million.
Mr Gavin Harte, programme manager and spokesperson for the eco-village project, said the newsletter marked the company's first step in a process of introducing the project to locals.
"The standard developer would just come into town, buy the site, draw up the plans, put in a planning application and not tell a soul.
"We are doing this in a different way because we want to hear people's points of view - we want to hear people's questions and their concerns," Mr Harte said.
A number of public meetings will be organised during the summer so the company can introduce itself to Cloughjordan, but in the interim a special comment book is available at the village's library and credit union for locals to express their views about the project.
North Tipperary's mayor, Mr Jim Casey, greeted the eco-village as a "tremendous project".
After meeting the developers, Mr Casey, a local politician, said he believed the project would add to the local community.
"One of the great things about this project is that it connects into the heart of the village. Access through the Lime Tree pub will connect it to the heart of Cloughjordan, keeping its centre alive," said Mr Casey.
The project will act as a model for many other villages experiencing rural decline throughout the county and the State.
The announcement follows four years of planning and over the coming months SPIL will apply to North Tipperary County Council for planning permission.
The development of the environmentally friendly eco-village will also include an orchard, a wildlife area, an enterprise centre, community buildings and a broadband wireless Internet network.
Sixty per cent of the village's heating will be derived from solar energy, 90 per cent of the waste produced there will be recycled and environmentally friendly materials will be used for the construction.
"The Village" will be designed in a similar fashion to the layout of Irish rural towns with a village green and open spaced square.
The aim of the project is to build a sustainable community.