Towns set for housing boom with influx of commuters

Other towns where housing development is likely to exceed local needs include:

Dundalk, Co Louth: The population is set to treble over the next decade as peace process dividends pay off.

The availability of housing (current prices for a three-bed semi are about £120,000) will undoubtedly lure Dubliners prepared to put up with, at best, a patchy rail commute.

A new town plan is currently under way, and a £50 million waste water treatment plant will dramatically increase the housing capacity of the area.

The town clerk, Mr Frank Pentony, described the future of Dundalk as "a boom town". It is 52 miles from Dublin.

Edenderry, Co Offaly: This is one of the towns selected to receive Government aid under the Serviced Land Initiative, and an addition to the local population of 3,000 is forecast.

Most are expected to come from the Dublin area, commuting via poor-quality roads to the N6 at Enfield, itself a notorious bottleneck.

Concern has been expressed at the level of commuter traffic impairing the effectiveness of the N6 as a strategic corridor.

Carlow: At 52 miles from Dublin Carlow is firmly in the long-distance commuting stakes.

The population, at 12,000 people in 1996, is expected to rise to 20,000 over the next few years.

The town plan is aimed at regenerating rundown areas such as old grain stores and warehouses, but with available zoned land to meet the population targets Carlow has already attracted Dubliners in search of lower prices.

Portlaoise: Large numbers of first-time buyers have moved the 52 miles to Portlaoise in recent years.

It takes at least an hour to reach Dublin's M50 and up to another hour to get to the centre of the capital.

Dubliners lured by cheaper housing have contributed to the traffic snarls at Kildare and Monasterevin, and traffic is regularly very slow from Naas to Dublin.

Some commuters also use the mainline rail and limited Arrow service to Heuston Station.

In advance of decent roads, about 3,000 new houses have been given the go-ahead, and a new £15 million main drainage scheme will pave the way for even more housing stock.