Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has given the green light for the rezoning of Dun Laoghaire Golf Club following a marathon meeting of the council overnight.
Councillors approved, by a vote of 12-11, the rezoning of 23 hectares of the golf club despite strong opposition from local residents' associations.
More than 1,500 houses are set to be built on the land.
The rezoning motion was supported by the majority of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail members of the council.
Green Party councillor Ms Kealin Ireland said she was "devastated" by this morning's vote and said it was "a terribly sad day Dun Laoghaire".
She said the lands had been voted on and rejected on three occasions and it was "a tragedy for democracy" they were had been tabled again. The council had previously voted narrowly against rezoning the golf course for the development of 1,700 homes.
In June 2002, the club's members agreed overwhelmingly to sell its grounds to Cogsrave Developments in return for a new 27-hole golf course and a new clubhouse with ancillary facilities at Ballyman Road, between Enniskerry and Bray, as well as €20.3 million in cash.
The deal was contingent, however, on the rezoning going through.
The council, which began its marathon meeting at 4 p.m. yesterday, had been directed by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, to zone for residential use a further 40 hectares of land in the development plan so that it complied with the council's own housing strategy.
A Labour Party proposal to revise the housing strategy in order to reduce the rezoning burden was rejected by a majority of councillors.
Mr Denis O'Callaghan (Labour) described it as a "sad night" for the council. "What has happened here today is that developers are going to be placated," he said, adding that he had no doubt that the plan would be challenged in the courts.
Claiming Cosgrave Developments was "the only group" which wanted to the lands rezoned, Ms Ireland said she would have imaged that at a time of planning controversies the Minister would have wanted to put as much "clear blue water" between himself and developers.
But Mr Larry Butler (FF) said the plan was for the benefit of the public and not any vested interest. "People who live around golf courses and then lecture us about what we should do as councillors - that is not democracy."
Ms Bernie Lowe (FF) condemned the "aspersions being thrown" at those supporting the golf club rezoning. "My bona fides are absolutely straight," she said. "We realise it's unpopular but we feel people have to be housed."
Meanwhile the Council blocked plans to develop lands for housing at one of Dublin's last remaining urban farms.
At a marathon meeting of the council last night, councillors voted unanimously for the zoning status of the lands at the Airfield estate, Dundrum to be changed from residential to open space.
This follows a major public campaign of opposition to the sale to developers of 3.5 hectares of land at the urban farm by its administrators Airfield Trust.
More than 700 submissions were sent to the council opposing the rezoning.