Killarney Town Council has voted by a majority to pass a controversial rezoning motion to allow low-density housing on an amenity area of special control alongside the national park.
The rezoned five acres is part of the remaining lands belonging to the McShain family, American philanthropists who once owned much of the Killarney National Park, its lakes and historic buildings.
Six councillors voted for the motion; three councillors, including the mayor, Mr Michael Courtney (Ind), voted against.
Mr Courtney said the area was a buffer zone, and rezoning it would open the floodgates for other applications all along the national park.
Those supporting the rezoning said they had met fierce resistance over the past three months.
The McShains had declared their hand openly in seeking the rezoning. However, there were powers outside the council "working in the dark" and seeking to control the town, it was said at the town council meeting on Monday night.
Another councillor said that everyone had thought long and hard no matter how they voted and he certainly did not question anyone's motives.
The five acres at Reen, Ross Road, adjoin the Killarney National Park and are also alongside existing medium-density housing. The site is also near the town's sewage treatment plant. The area commands some of the highest real-estate prices in Kerry.
The Department of the Environment, An Taisce, the Kerry Red Deer Society and the Killarney Nature Conservation Group were among those to express concern about the variation of the development plan, although only residents objected when the matter had been previously put before the public, the meeting heard.
Cllr Pat F. O'Connor (FF) said he was intrigued by the submissions this time. He was the council's representative on the Dúchas liaison committee, and the matter had previously passed without comment.
Suddenly there were submissions from several bodies on that committee.
A submission from the Department of the Environment said the low density proposed of 2.5 houses per acre was at variance with the Department's own 1999 guidelines on residential development for planning authorities on sensitive sites, particularly given that the location of the low-density housing was not part of an overall strategy.