Twenty-nine villages and towns in Co Laois will expand after councillors voted to accept part of a controversial county development plan.
New development boundaries will be set up around the villages and small towns in the county, allowing for the construction of thousands of new houses.
The issue was thrashed out at a six-hour meeting of the council yesterday, at which councillors voted by 12 votes to nine in favour of this part of the development plan.
Towns like Portlaoise, Portarlington and Mountmellick are not included in the plan - instead the growth will take place in smaller towns and villages.
The overall plan will be voted on this Monday, and it will then be published to allow the public air their views. Fianna Fáil councillors opposed the proposals, which were supported by Fine Gael, an independent, a Progressive Democrat and a Sinn Féin.
Because the meeting went on so long, the debate on the overall plan was adjourned until Monday's meeting.
There were claims from Fianna Fáil councillors that the plan could destroy villages in the county.
They said villages would not be able to cope with the explosion in population, and cited examples in Kildare where small towns and villages have experienced rapid population surges.
They also argued that the infrastructure to deal with increased traffic would be a problem.
Fine Gael said the housing development was mooted to allow for balanced development to take place within the county and that developers would be obliged to allot 17.5 per cent of housing to social housing once the land was rezoned.
Cllr John Bonham, Fine Gael, said the proposals were "far-reaching" and would create a better future for the county.
"This is a holistic approach to planning. People want to live and be able to afford housing in local areas, go to local schools, support local businesses, this gives them that opportunity."
Cllr Gerry Lodge, Fianna Fáil, was adamant the blanket zoning of land in villages would remove the council's power to control planning, as developers would be able to appeal decisions to An Bord Pleanála. If the land remained unzoned, the council would have more control of development, he said.
There were claims that some landowners and developers would become millionaires because of the decision.