North Tipperary County Council has given the go-ahead for what the developers are claiming would be Ireland's first eco-village in Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary.
The green light was given for the innovative new project to Sustainable Projects Ireland Ltd, which is spearheading a development on 67 acres close to the village. About one-third of the land will be used for building, one-third for residents' allotments, with the final 20 acres for woodland and wildlife.
The news follows the company's announcement last week of the completion of the purchase of the former 67-acre farm from a local landowner.
Brian O'Brien of Solearth, eco-architects for the project, said: "This decision is of national importance for two reasons. First, it'll change the way planners look at expanding villages and small towns from now on.
"Second, it marks a major step forward in terms of sustainable settlement design, and will finally bring us up to where exemplar countries like Denmark and the Netherlands are. The international engineering consultants Buro Happold have also been consultants to the project, helping in particular to design an innovative, eco-friendly wastewater treatment system."
The development, unlike any other in Ireland, includes the provision of 132 fully-serviced sites suitable for a variety of housing, including apartments and terraced, semi-detached and detached houses.
Members who buy sites will also co-own multi-use community buildings, private allotments and over 50 acres of land zoned for horticultural and woodland use. Homes will be built to a very high eco-standard, according to the company's ecological charter and the council.
The local authority is happy with the scale and density of the project which, according to the council, is critical to the community's overall design.
"North Tipperary County Council's decision is fantastic, and marks the second major milestone in the project's development this week as we have just closed the land deal for the farm in Cloughjordan," said Johnny Connolly, chairman of Sustainable Projects Ireland.
"The local authority is showing great foresight in facilitating the development...It has taken many years of hard work, but we've had a lot of support along the way, particularly from Cloughjordan residents, and we are hopeful that there won't be any appeals against our plans," said Mr Connolly.