North Tipperary County Council has given the go-ahead for a multi-million euro development in the picturesque village of Portroe, close to Lough Derg.
Along with other construction that has already taken place, the village looks set to grow into a town after the project got approval from senior planners.
The new development is being fronted by Limerick man Conor O'Brien. A 22-bedroom hotel, cafe, restaurant, bar and medical centre are planned for a site in the middle of the village.
Mr O'Brien, of Castletroy Lodge Guest House, Dublin Road, Limerick, was also granted permission to develop 81 houses, a creche, four apartments and eight duplex units on the site.
Nine commercial units - six on the ground floor and three on the first floor - are also included in the project. These will be suitable for banking, retail or office use.
Planning permission for the development was granted subject to 57 conditions, including a request for the provision of a four-acre playing field for the community.
The council also requested that the developer provide €700,000 up front to enable the council to upgrade the sewerage system before work begins on the project.
The site for the development will be accessed from Main Street, and will include car parking adjacent to the existing community centre. The playing field will be accessed from the Killoran Road.
Mr O'Brien said: "I'm very happy with the granting of permission, and it's great to see a development like this get the go-ahead.
"Portroe is a lovely village in a very scenic location, but at the moment the facilities are not there. The development will benefit the area greatly."
Michael Barker, of Limerick-based architects Michael Barker & Company, said although the entire project had been granted permission, there was still a four-week period where objections could be submitted to An Bord Pleanála.
"While we have received permission there is still a four-week waiting process before we can make concrete plans to press ahead," he said.
He said a lot of time and effort had gone into the design of the project, and a lot of care had been taken to ensure community needs were looked after.
"We will be incorporating a four-acre, multidenominational playing pitch into the project. It will be accessed from the Killoran Road," he said.
Regarding a start-up date for the project, Mr Barker said he hoped the project could be up and running prior to Christmas or early in the new year.
He said parts of the project, including the development of the hotel and a number of holiday apartments, would start as quickly as possible as they were tax-driven.
Portroe and its hinterland have been growing at a record rate in recent years. New local authority development has taken place, and a private scheme of 18 dwellings is under construction on a site near the village school.
The nearby amenity of Lough Derg has sparked much of the development in recent years, with many one-off houses being built in the surrounding countryside. There has also been record development in the adjoining village of Newtown.
While welcoming the news, local residents are anxious to ensure that the area is not allowed to develop like nearby Ballina/Killaloe, which has experienced many problems on account of rapid expansion in the last decade.