If proposals from 10 landowners to develop more than 140 hectares of land on the southern boundary of Drogheda, Co Louth, go ahead, they would see the population of the town increase by one-third to about 40,000.
The plans, outlined to local area councillors yesterday, would initially allow for the construction of 1,300 housing units by 2010. When completed, they would allow for a population of 12,000 people compared to Drogheda's approximate 30,000.
However, the lands at Bryanstown are within Meath County Council's boundary and the proposals have not yet been outlined to members of Drogheda Borough Council.
If 80 per cent of the land is rezoned for housing, it would be valued at close to €116 million.
According to Rachel Kenny, senior planner with Meath County Council, the presentation made by the consultants to yesterday's meeting of the Slane area members of Meath County Council was for information purposes only, as requested by "the landowners and councillors".
A number of the landowners were in the public gallery to see the presentation, led by Declan Brassil. One of the landowners said he had paid €12,000 to the consultants.
It is an objective of the 2001 Meath County Development Plan to develop a local area plan for Bryanstown.
According to Ms Kenny, "the landowners offered to pay consultants to assist us [ in preparing the plan] . . . The consultants are acting under our instructions and are preparing it while the landowners are paying."
She added after the presentation: "The landowners are not instructing the consultants and cannot interfere with it and none of the details to come in the future will necessarily reflect the desires of the landowners."
The meeting heard that for the complete development - as proposed - to be completed, the waste-water system in Drogheda would have to be upgraded, as would the water supply system. Also, the Lagavooren stream, prone to flooding, would have to be realigned.
Although large areas are earmarked for residential zoning, the consultants are proposing three primary schools, one secondary school and a number of different designs of housing, including apartments and houses.
They said the accommodation would all be within walking distance of amenities and about 15 per cent of the lands would be given to civic spaces, neighbourhood parks and playing fields.
However, Labour councillor Dominic Hannigan asked what brief the council had given the consultants and said that what was proposed was "potentially the biggest thing to hit Drogheda since Cromwell".
The next step in the development of the Bryanstown lands lies with Meath County Council. The council must decide whether to vary the existing county development plan or draw up a separate local area plan.